


By Virtue of Humanity

by Kasani



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bipolar Disorder, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-09
Updated: 2014-10-03
Packaged: 2018-01-24 03:24:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 95,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1589903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kasani/pseuds/Kasani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A split second decision can change everything. Stuck as humans in our 21st century world, Envy and Wrath quickly find themselves locked in a child psychiatric ward. But an unexpected familiar face just might hold the key to them finding a way home. That is, if they can convince her they really are who they say they are...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Wrath raced down the hall desperately, stumbling slightly in his haste. His wild dark hair streamed behind him and his breath came fast and shallow. The young boy was hardly aware of the burns that covered half of his body. He was completely focused on his goal. He had to stop them from using the philosopher’s stone. He had to make them use it to bring back Mommy. He had to save her! She was the only thing he had left to live for.

He burst into the grand ball room spotting the suit of armor known as Alphonse, now the philosopher’s stone, lying in the center of a large, glowing transmutation circle not far off. A very savage looking Gluttony was approaching him while Master Dante stood to the side with the pink haired girl and her baby. Wrath’s eyes darted to Envy, who stood between him and the rest of them. The shape shifting homunculus had his back turned to the boy for the moment while he observed the scene playing out in the center of the room.

“Soon Rose, you will surrender yourself to me,” The dark haired lady they called Master smirked superiorly at the young woman standing next to her. The girl made no response. She didn’t seem to even hear the older woman, her eyes having a glazed over appearance. Not having the patience to wait any longer, Wrath bolted swiftly in the direction of the suit of armor. Dante turned at the sound of his footsteps and spotted him, letting out a startled gasp. “Envy!” She cried in alarm. The green haired homunculus spun abruptly and in an instant had intercepted the boy, catching him in a choke hold. Wrath gave a strangled yelp as his forward momentum slammed him against the unyielding grip of the older homunculi’s arm. He gasped for air but continued to struggle forward, fighting against his captor’s iron grasp.

“Do not allow him to use his alchemy!” Dante ordered, reaching for the baby in the pink haired girl’s arms.

“Stop squirming!” Envy snapped, tightening his hold on the boy.

“Bring her back,” Wrath cried, sounding hysterical, “Bring my mommy back to life! Please!” Master Dante lifted the infant over her head, activating the transmutation circle drawn on its bare stomach. The air around them crackled with energy and Wrath froze with a startled gasp as a sonic boom echoed throughout the large chamber. Two enormous doors flashed into existence behind him. The Gate. He felt a horrible sinking feeling in his chest as the realization crashed over him. Not that place. Never that place, never again... Envy abruptly released the boy taking a step back, his eyes fixated warily on the gate. Not waiting for the gates to open, Wrath bolted for Alphonse and threw himself at the armored boy. Envy made a startled exclamation before leaping after the dark haired sin and half landing on him just as the great doors swung wide, dark hands spilling forth and reaching in their direction. Alphonse gasped in alarm, helmet lifting to glance down at the young homunculus.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

“Don’t touch him you little brat!” Envy snarled, trying to pull the child away from the armored body which contained the philosopher’s stone. Dante’s eyes widened in alarm and she shoved the crying infant into the Rose’s arms, starting towards the three boys just as the black hands of the gate began to seize hold of the young homunculus. Wrath let out a panicked cry and grabbed at one of the philosopher stone’s armored legs, activating the transmutation circle the three of them were now lying on. A blinding light flared up, completely engulfing the three boys and the Gate, causing Dante to shield her eyes and turn away. The energy slowly drained from the air as the light faded several moments later. She turned hastily to see the aftermath and a cry of horror escaped her lips.

The carefully drawn transmutation circle was smudged beyond repair, but far worse than that, the gate was gone, along with any sign of Wrath, Envy, or her precious philosopher’s stone. They seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving behind a ravenous looking, mindless Gluttony, who turned back towards his master with a snarl. Dante trembled with shock and fury.

“You stupid child! _What have you done_?!”

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

The first thing he became aware of was the sensation of moisture sprinkling over his body. Wrath’s blue eyes snapped open and he sat up with a gasp. His head spun and he found it hard to focus on his surroundings. Rain pelted down from a grey sky, splashing into puddles around him. His body felt strange and unpleasant. Goosebumps prickled along his skin and he began to shiver. The chilled feeling creeping through him was unfamiliar and very uncomfortable. He couldn’t remember ever feeling cold like this before… He examined his surroundings warily, confusion filling him. Everything looked different; strangely detailed in an unfamiliar, alien way. He appeared to be sitting on the bend of a wide black road. It was oddly smooth, with white and yellow lines painted along the sides and down the center. A forest of dark green, needled trees lay on one side, and a rolling field of grasses and scrub stretched out on the other.

He glanced down at himself and realized he was wearing nothing but skin. His damp hair clung to his back and shoulders. He slapped a hand down on the moist surface of the road, meaning to transmute it onto himself for some protection against the rain. Nothing happened. He tried again with the same result. He made a frustrated exclamation and stared down at his hands. Then his eyes slowly widened as something dawned on him. They looked strangely alien in the same way that his surroundings did, but there was something far more important than that. They both looked unburned, and unlike before they were both identical. He drew in a sharp breath and quickly snatched up his foot, looking for the familiar tattoo. Instead of the red Ouroboros imprinted on the ball of his foot, he found nothing but smooth, pink skin.

He let out a startled cry, dropping his foot and scrambling back slightly, his breathing short and rapid. What was going on? Did this mean he’d become human somehow? He reached up to touch his own face, fingers trailing over the cool, wet skin. He was having difficulty believing this was actually happening. His body began to shiver more violently from the shock as well as the cold. He’d mindlessly pursued the goal right along with all of the other Homunculi, but he’d never actually considered what would happen once he managed to become human. He’d only thought about how he would go about achieving it. This level of discomfort wasn’t something he’d ever experienced, and not having his powers left him feeling weak and vulnerable.

A low groan from behind him caused him to jump and whirl around warily. An older teen lay sprawled on the road a short distance away. His long, slightly straggly hair appeared almost black from the moisture that soaked it, but it carried a greenish tint. His face was fine featured and slightly feminine. His wiry body was well muscled, and like Wrath he was lacking any form of clothing. He looked familiar, but strange like the rest of the world around them... And then it clicked.

“Envy…?” The younger boy whispered, edging a little closer to the familiar teen. Envy’s eyes flickered open, now a stormy grey color rather than their usual purple hue. For a moment they appeared unfocused and confused. He pushed himself to a sitting position, staring around blankly. Then his gaze landed on the younger boy. His eyes widened in realization and recognition before he lunged at Wrath. The boy jerked backwards with a yelp and Envy fell short of his mark, sprawling on the pavement as his limbs responded more sluggishly than he was accustomed to.

“What did you do?!” He roared, his attempts to pursue the boy leading to his falling once again, this time scraping his knees and elbows on the hard surface of the road. He hissed from the unexpected pain and paused, waiting for his regenerative powers to take effect. After several moments he looked down at himself in confusion. Wrath peered at him anxiously.

“Um, Envy…” He began. Envy noticed his lack of clothing and made a sound of exasperation. He closed his eyes momentarily, willing a transformation to happen. When the familiar crackle of energy failed to flow through him his eyes snapped open in disbelief. He glanced down again and his gaze landed on his thigh, wear the usual red mark was oddly absent. He abruptly grew very still, appearing to stop breathing. “Envy…I think we might be human now,” Wrath suggested hesitantly. He scrambled to his feet and took a step away from the older boy, wobbling slightly on his new legs. After a moment Envy rose slowly, eyes still cast downward staring at his thigh. Finally he raised his head.

“What. Did. You. Do?” His voice was dangerously soft. His eyes were furious. Wrath flinched away from him.

“I don’t know!” His voice wavered slightly and he poured back through his memories, trying to piece together the last moments before they were dragged into the gate, “I don’t know!” he repeated more frantically.

“You idiot! You’re the one who performed the transmutation! Undo it!” Envy shouted stalking towards the frightened boy. Wrath staggered backwards away from him.

“I can’t!” He wailed, “My alchemy doesn’t work here!” This brought Envy up short, the full gravity of the situation hitting him. The two of them were completely powerless at the moment. He glanced around once again, taking in his surroundings more carefully.

“Where the hell are we? What is this place?” He demanded. Something close to fear flickered in his eyes. Wrath shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself as he continued to shiver.

Suddenly both boys froze as a strange whining rumble could be heard approaching from the bend in the road. A moment later two headlights came into view around the corner, flying towards them at an unbelievable speed. Envy reacted on instinct, grabbing the boy next to him and diving into the steep ditch. He’d be damned if the kid died before he’d had a chance to make him pay for getting them into this situation. They rolled to a stop in the cool, wet grass and he quickly shoved the child off of himself. They heard a harsh screeching sound as the vehicle came to a sliding stop not far down the road. Envy grew still, listening intently. What the hell was that thing? Automobiles couldn’t move at that kind of speed, not even when souped up with alchemy! The sound of doors slamming and multiple sets of running feet could be heard.

“Hey kids, are you ok?!” A concerned male voice called. Envy let out a low growl. Human scum. How dare he refer to him as a kid... He saw the man’s silhouette appear at the side of the road and heard him let out a gasp upon seeing the condition they were in. The figure turned and waved at someone behind him. “Honey, call the cops!” he called. Wrath glanced at Envy in alarm.

“What do we do?” He whispered. Envy rapidly processed the situation. His first reaction was to morph his arm into a blade and plunge it into the idiot human. But since that was currently impossible, he’d have to come up with something else. He glanced around swiftly. Given their current condition and lack of knowledge about their location, there was really only one thing they could do, as much as it grated on his pride.

“Run,” he ordered in a low, harsh voice.


	2. Newcomers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two new patients arrive at the ward...

“Good morning girls!” The cheerful voice in the doorway made Elsie’s head snap up with a start. A short, slightly plump lady with curly, brown hair and a friendly smile strolled briskly into the room, dressed in the usual sterile looking scrubs which most of the nurses wore. “Oh good Elsie, you’re awake,” She nodded approvingly at the girl who was already sitting up in bed, an open sketchpad resting on her crossed legs.

“Good morning Anne,” Elsie smiled, setting the sketchpad aside and stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. She glanced across the room at her roommate who was still fast asleep in her own bed. The room itself was just large enough for two hospital beds and their accompanying dresser/desk combination. The walls were a plain, off white color while the floor was dull, greyish linoleum.

“Diana, it’s time to get up. Breakfast is ready,” Annie moved towards the other bed, whose occupant was still determinedly buried under the covers, “Diana?” A muffled groan was the only response. Elsie sighed, knowing it would likely be a few minutes before Anne got through to the sleeping girl. Slipping out of bed she quickly pulled on her slippers, avoiding as much contact as possible with the cold floor. She raked a hand through her messy black curls and made her way to the small washroom which she shared with her roommate. Diana had probably been awake most of the night, so she wouldn’t be up for another half hour anyway. This gave Elsie some time to clean up a bit. 

She turned on the tap and waited for the water spilling into the shallow bathroom sink to grow warm. She eyed her reflection in the mirror with resignation. Dark circles stood out prominently beneath wide green eyes set in a tired, pale face. She blew the long bangs out of her eyes, and grabbed a brush to tackle the tangled mess of loose curls spilling over her shoulders, wincing at the feel of the bristles tugging through her hair. It felt so much more uncomfortable than usual… not to mention the sound of the water washing across the metal basin of the sink kept distracting her.

Despite her appearance, she didn’t feel fatigued. On the contrary she’d been wide awake at 5am sketching feverishly. Ideas for various drawings were pouring through her mind uncontrollably and her body refused to sleep. She could feel the anxious energy fizzing in her veins even now. She wanted to race about and organize things. Her dresser could probably use some dusting, and the bookshelf in the main living area was a hopeless mess she wouldn’t mind tackling. Of course, a display of such unusual energy would have the nurses swooping down on her in no time...

Setting her brush down, she splashed some of the now warm water across her face and reached for the brown paper towels in the dispenser on the wall. They were the kind often found in public washrooms and weren’t the nicest thing to use as a facecloth, but she wasn’t exactly staying in a 5 star joint.

“Elsie, you'll be coming out for breakfast soon right?" Anne called.

"Yep, I’ll be there in a minute," She replied, mild exasperation coloring her tone. She'd been one of the first people at breakfast every morning since she’d arrived, but they were still on her case just as much as every other patient. Then again, she supposed that was to be expected. It was their job after all… She waited for the sound of Anne leaving the room, eyeing her wrinkled green hoody and dark pyjama pants in the mirror with resignation and reminding herself it was a waste of energy feeling self-conscious. There wasn’t anyone here to impress.

Taking a deep breath she put on a carefully neutral expression, masking her underlying agitation, before stepping out into the room once again. Sunlight shone into her eyes from the large window on the other side of the room. It overlooked a baseball diamond on the other side of a busy avenue. It almost gave the room a natural feel, except for the double panes of plexiglass with a metal grate in between. It also lacked any sort of curtains and was covered in graffiti, scratched in with a blunt object courtesy of the room’s previous occupant. She pulled the large bedroom door open quietly, not wanting to disturb her roommate. There were no knobs or latches on the door, and the window in the middle of it had a curtain hung on the outside so the nurses could check on them without having to disturb them. Like most of the doors in the unit it had been made wide enough to wheel hospital beds through.

She heard a loud groan of disgust from the large room just down the hall and she raised her eyebrows. She strolled into the main room of the ward, glancing around distractedly. It served as a general living room and eating area. There were a number of tables set up with chairs, as well as a sitting area off to one side with a TV mounted on the wall. Not that they had access to any of the channels... It was only used for movies and video games. The walls were the usual cream color, although the floor had several swirls of blue in the tiles, adding a little color to the place.

She glanced up at the roof with a frown. The faint buzzing from the florescent lights was grating on her nerves. A soft huff drew her attention to one of the tables. A brown haired, bearded teen stood there. His wrinkled shirt and plaid PJ pants matched his hair color. He was staring down at his tray of food looking distraught.

"Something wrong Damian?" She enquired, making her way over to his table. He raised his head slowly, with a tortured expression.

"They gave us eggs again... For the second day in a row!" His voice cracked dramatically. Elsie smirked slightly, pleased to see the other teen in a better mood than usual. 

"Damian! Inside voice please," A shrill voice called from the reception desk. Damian rolled his eyes and Elsie chuckled.

"Not the awful powdered ones?" she asked apprehensively. He gave her a serious stare.

"The very same..."

"Ugh..." Elsie wilted dejectedly. While she enjoyed playing along with his dramatics, the eggs really were quite disgusting. Damian's expression wavered for a moment before breaking into a sheepish smile.

"Morning Elsie," he greeted her, his voice returning to its normal tone.

"Good morning Damian," she replied pointedly. He shook his head dolefully and sat down at his table.

"Nothing good about it," he retorted.

"You're still breathing aren't you?" Elsie pointed out.

"Who said that was a good thing?" His tone was lightly joking but his smile didn't reach his eyes. Elsie sighed, recognizing the bleakness that lingered in the teen’s gaze. He could put up a front if he wanted to, but she could tell underneath it he still wasn’t doing very well. 

She shook her head and headed over to the reception desk on the other side of the room. A cart full of breakfast trays was parked near it. Little slips of paper marked each tray with a patient’s name. Some of the other kids had special dietary requirements so they each got their own specific tray.

"Good morning Elsie," A sugary sweet voice greeted her from behind the desk. The perfectly tanned young woman beamed a painfully fake smile at her. Her dark hair was carefully styled and her full mask of makeup expertly applied.

"Good morning Sheila," Elsie forced a pleasant smile onto her face and tried not to sneeze from intense smell of perfume radiating off the ward's youngest nurse. She’d been able to smell it from across the room, the scent assaulting her already aggravated senses. Intent on avoiding an awkward conversation, she turned and hastily found the tray labeled with her name before heading back towards the tables.

Damian waved at her so she returned to his table, taking a seat across from him. She lifted the plastic cover off her plate and wrinkled her nose at the contents: powdered scrambled eggs, cold French toast in a tinfoil wrapper, a yogurt cup, a plastic cup of fruit and a juice box. 

"I told you, it's the eggs again," Damian said, pushing his scrambled eggs around his otherwise empty plate. With a resigned sigh Elsie reached for the cardboard-like French toast.

"Can I have your yogurt cup?" Damian asked abruptly. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as another girl arrived at the table.

"You can have mine," The newcomer suggested, setting her tray next the Elsie's. Elsie raised a critical eyebrow at the girl. Her dull blond hair was pulled into a messy bun and her skin looked sallow. The way her loose, grey pyjamas hung on her frame and the prominence of her cheekbones suggested she could stand to gain a few pounds.

"Nice try Sharon," Damian replied dryly.

"What, you'll eat Elsie's but not mine?" Sharon's voice was sharply indignant. Damian rolled his eyes.

"Elsie doesn't have an eating--"

"Damian!" The young nurse called heatedly from the reception desk, cutting off his retort and glaring at the three of them. He scoffed and muttered something under his breath, returning his gaze to his plate. Elsie sighed. The rules of the ward were pretty straightforward. One of the main ones was that you could talk about your own illness if you wanted to, but no one was allowed to talk or enquire about another patient’s illness or disorder. Most of the kids kept things to themselves anyway, not feeling comfortable discussing their respective issues. But living in the same ward together for extended periods of time meant you picked up on things.

"How are you feeling today?" Sharon turned to Elsie, the friendly tone of her voice a little strained. Elsie glanced at the girl uncertainly. The blond wasn’t typically a morning person, and she had a sharp tongue when she was in a bad mood. On top of which she appeared more tense than usual...

"I've been worse," she smiled finally, “You?” she enquired. Sharon’s expression grew carefully neutral and she shrugged, suddenly becoming absorbed in shredding her toast. Elsie raised her eyebrows but chose not to comment, instead starting on her fruit cup. A heavy silence fell over the table as they continued to pick at their food.

Elsie glanced at each her companions with sad bemusement as she ate. Damian had arrived at the ward a little before she had several weeks ago. He’d come across as a bit of an attention seeking goofball when she’d first met him, but she’d watched him rapidly plunge into a severe depression over the last two weeks. She was impressed he was actually out of his room and willingly interacting with people at this time of day. Maybe the doctors had finally found the right dose of medication for him...

Her eyes flicked to the blond sitting next to her. Elsie could feel the girl's growing agitation radiating off of her as she began to fidget nervously in her chair. Sharon had been here much longer than either Damian or herself. From what Elsie had gathered from conversations with her she had been in and out of this ward for years. She seemed to have several disorders aside the more obvious eating disorder, and from the sounds of it her family life made the ward seem like a comfortable home. 

“Sheila, can I have my Ativan now?” Sharon called, rocking slightly in her chair as her eyes darted around the room. She pointedly avoided Elsie’s concerned gaze, making an attempt to control the fidgeting and cover up the distress she was clearly experiencing. Elsie turned away with a pang of sympathy. She understood the girl’s embarrassment. Feeling the control over your body and mind slipping was unpleasant and upsetting. Not to mention humiliating….

“Of course,” Sheila stood and made her way into the room behind the reception desk. She emerged a moment later and brought a small pill cup and a small glass of water over to her. Sharon reached for it anxiously and quickly swallowed the little white pill, followed by the water.

“You two can get your med’s when your assigned nurses bring them,” Sheila’s offhanded comment was directed at Damian and Elsie as she took the empty cups from Sharon and returned to the desk. Elsie blanched. She’d probably spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon in a fuzzy daze thanks to the antipsychotic medication they had her on. Although…that was assuming the dose she was on was strong enough to keep her mania in check... She had a sneaking suspicion she needed a higher dose, but she wasn’t keen on mentioning it to her doctor. She hated the effect the medication had on her at the proper dose. The sooner she was back to just her regular mood stabilizers, the better...

The rest of the breakfast passed in silence. Elsie finished the last of her juice box before gathering everything onto the tray and rising to return it to the breakfast cart. She turned and almost collided with another patient approaching with a tray of his own.

“Woah, hi there,” the soft voice belonged to a tall boy with wavy raven black hair.

“Oh! Sorry Jason,” Elsie stepped back hastily, sounding flustered. The teen was clothed in his usual blue hoody and sweatpants, which hung loosely on his lean frame. His skin was startlingly pale against the black of his hair, leading her to wonder if he dyed it. His face was attractive despite the acne scars, and his hazel eyes were rimmed with long dark lashes.

“No problem,” He gave her a slight smile before stepping around her and making his way to an empty table. Elsie watched him take a seat, before snapping her eyes off of him and heading briskly over to the breakfast tray, her mind reeling slightly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Jason. He was certainly interesting. He was one of the patients who seemed very nonchalant about his illness, casually informing everyone he was schizophrenic shortly after his arrival a week ago. He seemed to find the related stigma amusing. She didn’t know much about the disorder, although apparently it was considered a ‘severe mental illness’, in a similar category to her own disorder. Still, he seemed like a nice guy; for all that he was rather quiet and mostly kept to himself.

She finished securing her tray in the cart just as the morning nurse Anne walked over.

“Hey there Elsie, I’ll be your nurse for today. If you need anything just let me know. Here are your morning meds,” The middle aged woman smiled at her, offering a little cup of pills and a cup of water. Elsie returned the smile as she took the cups from her.

“Thank you,” She quickly tossed the meds to the back of her throat and swallowed them down with the water before handing the empty cups back to Anne.

“You are most welcome,” Anne nodded, heading off to dispose of the used cups. Elsie sighed. The grogginess would likely start in about a half hour. She turned and headed back down the hall to her room, intent on finishing her sketch while her senses were still sharp.

It was the middle of August, so school wouldn’t start for another couple weeks. Or at least what passed for school in a child psychiatric ward. In a place like this, summer break wasn’t a positive thing. It just meant things were even more boring than usual. There was very little to do. Cell phones weren’t allowed, and neither was internet connection. Contacting anyone except your parents over the receptionist’s phone was forbidden. You weren’t allowed out of your unit except on the occasional ‘field trip’ around the hospital, or a walk outside if they had enough free staff to take everyone. Heck, you couldn’t take a shower without getting a nurse to unlock the shower door for you. The night staff had to check on you several times a night to make sure you were actually in your bed sleeping. The beds themselves were rock hard and the hospital food was terrible. All in all, a psych ward was a terrible place to spend summer break.

Elsie flopped onto her bed, sketchpad and pencil in hand. She analyzed the drawing she’d been working on previously. Considering she’d been working without any references, she figured she’d done a pretty decent job.

“What are you drawing?” Elsie glanced up in surprise to see her roommate Diana standing at the foot of her bed. The girl’s pin straight coppery hair hung to her shoulders and she had a dusting of orange freckles across her cheeks. The prominent dark circles under her grey eyes seemed to be permanently etched onto her face. She wore her usual dark hoody which covered her slim arms. Elsie had never seen her in anything but long sleeves, but she could understand why... The two of them had discussed their respective problems when they’d been made roommates. It made things less nerve wracking. Really, there’s nothing quite like lying awake at night and wondering how much crazier than you the person sleeping across the room is.

Diana and Sharon were the oldest patients in the ward at the moment from what she knew, both of them being 17. Elsie herself would be turning 17 in a little over a week. She had hoped to be out of the ward before then but at this point she had her doubts. Things hadn’t gone quite as smoothly as they had last time she’d been hospitalized.

“It’s just a character from an anime I watch,” She explained somewhat sheepishly. Diana moved closer for a better look and raised an eyebrow.

“Is that a boy or a girl?” She asked. Elsie bit her lip, knowing where the conversation was headed.

“A boy,”

“…Why is he wearing a skirt?” Diana asked skeptically. Elsie gave a slight laugh.

“He’s…different,” she replied, staring down at the character. She didn’t even particularly like him, but he was fun to draw. Diana snorted derisively, moving away from the bed towards the washroom.

“Sounds like he’d fit in around here,” She commented dryly over her shoulder. Elsie made a face.

“I seriously doubt it…” She stared back down at her sketch, adding a bit more shading to his palm-tree-like hair.

Suddenly the speaker in the roof above her sounded the loud shriek of an alarm, causing her to jump. It blared several times before a synthetic female voice echoed through the speaker.

_“Code white”_ The voice continued with directions to a specific place in the hospital. The alarm sounded again and the message was repeated.

_“Code white”_

Elsie let out a breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Alarms like this went off several times a day in the hospital. She combed her brain trying to remember what code white meant. She knew code red was fire, and code blue was for cardiac arrest... She’d heard both during her stay here so far, but not code white.

She looked up at a knock on the door to see one of the nurses standing there. The woman’s wavy hair was startlingly red and her dark eyes were lively.

“Is Diana up yet?” She asked, sounding exasperated. Elsie nodded.

“Yep, she’s just in the washroom,”

“Oh good! Saves me the hassle of trying to drag her out of bed,” The nurse chuckled, sounding a little too relieved. Elsie grinned slightly. The nurse, Marian, was one of the more laid back, talkative staff members assigned to the unit.

“Hey Marian? What does ‘code white’ mean?” She asked curiously as the nurse was turning to leave. Marian frowned a moment.

“Code white? I think it means a violent patient if I remember correctly,” she noticed the dark haired girl’s expression deteriorate slightly and gave her a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry though, it’s in another part of the hospital. If it was a psychiatric patient it would be code green,”

“Oh, I was just curious. Thanks,” Elsie glanced back down at her sketch pad feeling an unrealistic thrill of anxiety. She was well aware what code green meant. They’d had one several days ago. Even though it had been in a different unit from theirs, they’d still had to go into lock down for an hour. Still… she felt a prick of suspicion. Was the nurse covering something up so as not to upset her? Various possibilities zipped through her mind. The only patients she could think of at the moment that would be violent were patients being admitted to the psych ward. They had mental issues after all, right? But if they were just being admitted then they wouldn’t be classified as psychiatric yet, so it would be considered a code white rather than a code green. Meaning maybe this person was going to end up admitted to the same unit as her and maybe—

She gave her head a swift shake, forcing her racing thoughts away from the subject. Those were pretty large assumptions to be making. On top of which, the odds of it being an adolescent, and them being admitted to the same unit as her, were pretty darn tiny. She lay back on her bed, rubbing her forehead and trying to take slow even breaths. She recognized paranoia as just another symptom of the mania. With any luck the medication would take effect soon and it would go away. She let out a heavy sigh. She just had to be patient.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several days later Elsie found herself eating lunch at a full table. Jason had shown up for a change and Diana had tagged along with Elsie. Sharon was sitting on her left and several other patients she didn’t know very well had decided to join them as well. Damian was still in is room, apparently suffering from a worsening of his depression. Elsie shifted uneasily, finding the sound of different conversations going on in the room to be unusually loud and distracting. Her thoughts were leaping around like crickets in a hot frying pan, making eating and listening to table’s conversation at the same time nearly impossible. She felt like a taut rubber band, flinching at movements seen from the corner of her eye and feeling overwhelmed by the sensory input pouring in from around her. 

“What is this sauce?” the boy sitting across from her was picking apart his sandwich suspiciously. He appeared in his mid-teens. His dark hair was short and frizzy and there seemed to be a perpetual scowl on his face. She couldn’t remember his name since she usually avoided him. He tended to be a little obnoxious and slow on the uptake.

“I’m not sure…it’s kind of gross,” Diana eyed her half eaten sandwich distastefully. The boy shook his head.

“It tastes funny. This isn’t normal sauce. Why would they use sauce like this?” He demanded, frowning down at his sandwich. Elsie tensed at loudness of his tone, gaze darting around the table anxiously. No one seemed to feel like responding since they were all well aware he was only looking for an excuse to rant. Then rather unexpectedly, Jason sat up from his disinterested slouch and leaned forward in a conspiratorial way. Elsie’s gaze snapped to him and Diana raised her eyebrows skeptically.

“They’re drugging us…” He said, in an ominous stage whisper. A brief silence hung over the table before one of the other boys choked on his bite of sandwich and Elsie burst into slightly giddy laughter. Sharon grinned slowly as she caught onto the irony of his statement, and Diana rolled her eyes. The rest of the patients appeared a little lost by the turn in the conversation. Jason leaned back with a slight smirk, satisfied he’d gotten at least some reaction out of them. Elsie was impressed to see the typically withdrawn teen making an attempt at humor. He must be feeling better than usual.

The boy who had complained frowned, taking several moments to process the other teen’s words. Finally he seemed to decide on an answer.

“No they aren’t. That’s stupid,” He said bluntly. There was a collective sigh around the table.

“Boys!” one of the nurses called from the reception desk, “Come get your lunchtime meds,” Elsie snickered as the nurse reinforced the sarcasm of schizophrenic teen’s statement. Several of the patients, Jason included, rose and headed over towards the front desk.

Sharon turned and glanced at Elsie as the boys left.

“Would you quit tapping, you look like a caffeine addict,” she commented harshly. Elsie’s cheeks grew red and she forced her knees to stop bouncing. She couldn’t get rid of this awful energy. It felt like bugs crawling under her skin. She shifted nervously in her chair, trying to concentrate on eating the sandwich she’d barely touched.

“Leave her alone. Sheesh, you’re so insensitive,” Diana snapped, shooting the blond a dark look. Elsie wilted slightly, knowing the two girls didn’t need much excuse to argue. Sharon returned the glare before shooting a resentful look at Elsie as if it was somehow her fault.

“Whatever,” She stood abruptly, taking her tray and leaving.

“Good riddance,” Diana muttered, scooting her chair closer to Elsie, “What a bitch.”

“It’s alright, she just doesn’t think before she speaks sometimes,” Elsie said, defending the blond half-heartedly. Diana snorted.

“No, she never thinks before she speaks. I don’t know why you hang around with her,” She replied disapprovingly.

“Yeah, because there’s such a wide selection of company to choose from here,” Elsie murmured dryly, “She’s not that bad most of the time. I feel kind of sorry for her,” Her gaze met Diana’s briefly before flicking away uneasily, having difficulty holding eye contact.

“Well, you have a point about the selection of people,” Diana conceded, “Unfortunately, Sharon had a point too. You aren’t looking so good. Did you sleep at all last night?” She raised an eyebrow. Elsie sighed in defeat.

“Not much. My brain wouldn’t turn off. These racing thoughts are driving me crazy, no pun intended,” Elsie laughed nervously. Diana frowned in concern.

“You should mention it to your doctor. You’re seeing him after lunch right?” Diana asked.

“Yeah, he’ll probably just up my meds,” Elsie replied, sounding resigned.

“Well, that’s better than flying sky high again…right?” Diana suggested somewhat tentatively. Elsie grinned crookedly.

“Well, if I want to get out of here before next month, then yes,” She said, “And I would hate to get stuck back on the high security side,” She grimaced. Diana blanched.

“No kidding. Two days there was more than enough for me,” She agreed, sitting back in her chair and rubbing her eyes. Elsie frowned.

“You don’t look so good either. Sleeping pills not working?” She asked. Diana shook her head.

“No, and the beds are awful. I hate it here. I still can’t believe my family admitted me to this place. It’s not like I’m a total nutcase. I always figured people only got stuck here when they were psychotic,” Diana complained tiredly.

“Like me?” Elsie asked dryly. Diana shot her an apologetic smile.

“Well you’re not psychotic anymore,” she pointed out. Elsie shrugged. It wouldn’t be hard to get there again if the mania kept progressing. Her gaze landed back on her sandwich. She wasn’t particularly hungry anymore. 

“Elsie?” both girls looked over to see Anne standing near the reception desk, “The doctor’s ready to see you now,” She called.

“Good luck,” Diana said, turning back to Elsie with an encouraging smile. Elsie nodded pensively, and rose to return her tray.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later Elsie found herself in the main room playing a board game with Sharon. It was a little complicated and involved grouping numbered tiles into matching sets in order to get rid of them. Sharon was a pro at the game and usually won. Elsie mainly played because she had trouble saying no to the girl and didn’t really have anything better to do. It was Friday and a lot of the patients had left on a weekend pass after lunch. The stable patients were usually allowed to leave and stay with their families until Monday. Unfortunately she wasn’t well enough to go home at the moment, which worried her. An image of her mother flashed through her mind and she frowned. She was a small, dark haired woman in her forties, with warm green eyes and laugh lines etched softly into her features. She also happened to suffer from severe depression, so leaving her all alone like this was far from ideal. Usually Elsie was the one who looked after her when she was going through a rough patch. Her dad had left them several years ago so there wasn’t really anyone else who could help...She felt a stirring of an old resentment in her chest at the thought of the man. It was that bastard’s fault her mother’s depression had gotten so much worse...

Elsie shifted anxiously in her chair, tearing her thoughts away from the subject and trying to focus on the numbers in front of her. The appointment with her doctor had gone as well as she’d expected. He was concerned by her lack of response to the medication and was increasing it. More so than she would have liked, but he was the doctor, not her. She’d be starting on the increased dose that evening.

“Your turn,” Sharon pointed out, slightly impatient as her eyes scanned the tiles eagerly.

“Oh, sorry,” Elsie blinked and tried to figure out her next move. Her gaze flicked over the tiles, brain not really registering any of what she was seeing. She felt slightly panicky at suddenly being put on the spot and her thoughts flew in every direction except the one she wanted them to go in. She dug her nails into her leg in frustration, trying to force herself to focus. Her attempt was shattered as several of the ward’s male nurses blew past, heading to the entrance of the ward. She recognized them as Travis and Wain; two of the three male nurses currently assigned to the unit. Both she and Sharon turned to watch them, the game momentarily forgotten.

The main door to the ward opened revealing two nurses she didn’t recognize followed closely by what appeared to be an older teen and a kid, presumably new patients. Elsie frowned, leaning further out of her chair in an attempt to get a better view of them. Sharon made a sound of recognition and Elsie glanced back at her questioningly.

“Well I heard a couple of the nurses talking earlier. They said we’d be getting two patients transferred from another unit because they didn’t have any spare beds outside of their high security side,” Sharon paused a moment before continuing, “From the sounds of it they’re pretty odd…the nurses didn’t sound thrilled about having them on the unit.” Elsie’s gaze returned to the two newcomers with some anxiety. The only empty room on the unit was the one next to hers. If they ended up being problem kids she wasn’t looking forward to having them as neighbors… The nurses that came with the patients conversed briefly with the male nurses before making a swift exit. The patients were now in full view as Wain and Travis spoke to them.

Elsie’s jaw dropped slightly while Sharon made a quiet exclamation. She tentatively pegged them as male, mainly due to their body builds and postures. Both boys were dressed in outfits obviously provided by the hospital. The younger of the two looked about 10 years old. His thick black hair spilled wildly over his shoulders and down his back to his waist. His head was tilted down so his bangs hid his eyes. The older boy looked at least 17. His hair hung down to his waist as well, although it had a more straggly, uneven looking appearance and was a dark greenish color. Unlike the younger boy his head was up as he examined the ward. And he looked seriously ticked off. His eyes landed on her momentarily and he glared icily. She shrank back slightly and felt a thrill of anxiety. This guy likely had anger management issues. She was going to have to steer clear of him. Not that that was easy to do when they were stuck in the same unit together...

“What the hell is up with their hair?” Sharon whispered, looking a little weirded out.

“No idea,” Elsie shook her head. There was something about them… she couldn’t lay a finger on it, but they seemed almost familiar somehow…

“The older one’s kind of cute. Too bad he looks like a jerk,” Sharon leaned back in her chair, a speculative look on her face.

“You’re kidding me,” Elsie said, shooting her a disbelieving look.

“What, you got something against long hair?” Sharon smirked at her.

“I don’t care about his hair. He looks like he wants to tear someone’s head off,” Elsie glanced back at the boys, the anxious energy eating at her worse than before. A feeling of cold surprise settled over her as she realized the older one was staring at her again. The hostility in his gaze had backed off slightly, replaced by a confused recognition. Her heart stuttered in alarm and panic gripped her. That didn’t make sense... He couldn’t possibly know her from anywhere… She rose abruptly to her feet and a wave of dizziness washed over, causing her to grip the table for support. Sharon gave her a questioning look.

“I don’t feel so good. I’m going back to my room for a bit,” Without waiting for a reply Elsie turned and walked as swiftly as she could manage back to her room, pushing the door open and shutting it swiftly behind her.

She leaned against it panting. Her heart seemed to be pounding faster and faster and she couldn’t seem to get enough air. Diana sat up on her bed, staring at her in concern.

“Hey, are you ok?” Elsie glanced at her and shook her head. She slid down the door and sat with her knees pulled up to her stomach, quivering from head to toe and trying hard not to burst into tears. “Elsie, what’s wrong?” Diana sounded alarmed, crossing the room and crouching down next to her. Elsie shook her head.

“It’s nothing, I’m just being an idiot,” She sounded out of breath and her voice wavered slightly. Diana frowned.

“Do you want me to get one of the nurses?” She asked, sounding a little worried. Elsie shook her head quickly.

“No. It’s just the new patients that just came in. One of them is a little scary looking and he was staring at me. It freaked me out for some reason. I’m just over reacting,” Her voice was still a little shaky and she rested her forehead on her knees, feeling shaken and frustrated. She was more upset over her own reaction than she was about what had triggered it off. She hated feeling so helpless against her own body... “It’s a good thing my meds are getting increased this evening,” her voice was muffled against her legs. Diana sat down beside her, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

“There are new patients? Does that mean we have neighbors again?” She asked. Elsie made a sound of affirmation. “You say one of them is scary?” Diana cocked an eyebrow. Elsie raised her head with a sigh.

“He just looks like he’s got a short fuse. Sharon said she overheard some of the nurses discussing the two of them and apparently they weren’t thrilled about having them on the unit,” Elsie explained.

“Huh…So was he glaring at you or something? ‘Cause guys like that tend to glare at everyone,” Diana pointed out cautiously.

“Yeah, I know…he just looked like he recognized me or something…” She trailed off. Diana raised her eyebrows.

“Did he look familiar at all?” She asked. Elsie opened her mouth to reply and then paused. What scared her was that they did look vaguely familiar. She just couldn’t figure out why. They didn’t exactly have a forgettable appearance, so surely she should be able to remember where she’d seen them before… She shook her head. It was probably all just paranoia on her part.

“I don’t think so,” She replied. Her heart was starting to slow down a little, and her breathing was coming back under control.

“Well…he is in a psych ward after all. He’s obviously a little nuts one way or another,” Diana sounded mildly amused.

“That’s a good point,” Elsie grinned weakly. Diana got to her feet.

“Well now I’m curious. I’m going to take a look at these guys myself. You coming?” She asked. Elsie got to her feet as well but shook her head.

“No, I think I’ll just stay in here for a while,” She replied.

“Alright. I’m heading out for the weekend shortly too, so I guess I’ll see you Monday,” Diana mentioned offhandedly. Elsie dragged up a smile for her.

“Ok, have fun,”

“Yeah, I’ll try,” Diana chuckled dryly before slipping out the door. With a sigh Elsie made her way over to her bed, curling up with a pillow clutched to her chest. She could still feel her body quivering with tension. All she wanted to do was run. Run until her legs gave out and the fizzing energy inside her was spent. Maybe then her thoughts would stop racing and she could sleep. Unfortunately she was trapped here, unable to do anything but wait. And she was so unbelievably tired of waiting. She needed to get home to look after her mother…the older woman hadn’t called the ward to check in on her for a few days now and that was concerning. A wave of homesickness washed over her and she buried her face in the pillow, tears threatening once again. She just wanted to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psych wards...fun stuff. But seriously, if you're looking for a place to escape your life...well...I don't recommend them as your first choice lol.
> 
> Now, I realize there's a pretty big stigma around mental illness and psych wards. I'd like to point out that just because somebody has spent time in a psych ward doesn't mean they're a raving lunatic in a straight jacket foaming at the mouth. I suspect there are people in your life with mental illnesses and you've got no idea they actually have an illness. Because for the most part, us mentally ill people are just like the rest of the population. We're still _people_. Just like you, and your friends, and your family. Personally, the only reason people know I have a disorder is because I choose to be open about it. People don't really notice it much otherwise.
> 
> On the same note! Psychotic is a sadly misused word. Psychosis and anti-psychotic meds have nothing do with being psychopathic. When you're psychotic it means you're delusional and hallucinating. When you're a psychopath it means you're like Envy when he's in character. Big friggin difference lol just keep that in mind.
> 
> Anyway enough of that. This chapter is unusually long compared to most of the other chapters in the story. Personally I'd prefer this length for all of them but...that's just not how it ended up working out when it wrote it. I apologize for a long, entirely OC centered chapter. I know those can be boring, but it was a necessary evil.
> 
> So Elsie disorder. For those of you that haven't already recognized it, (I suspect that would be quite a few of you) it is in fact Bipolar Disorder, which I personally have and have personally spent time in a child psychiatric ward for. Thus I am writing from experience (I go into more details about the disorder in the author's note of a future chapter). I don't recommend trying to write about a disorder you don't have personal experience with. Because seriously, you've got _no_ idea and you're just going to piss off and upset the people that actually have it (And trust me, we _are_ out there and we _do_ read fanfiction). It may seem exotic and exciting to write about, but mental illness isn't fun and games. It can royally screw up peoples' lives and have deadly consequences. Please try to be sensitive to this fact.  
>  Oh and if by some unfortunate miracle you happen to have this disorder as well, I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me on how I'm portraying it. I've never had the chance to sit down and talk with someone else who has this disorder (we're a small minority) and I'm always really curious to hear from other people that have it. :)
> 
> I'll try to keep the chapters rolling along relatively quickly. The next one is quite a bit shorter, but it's from Envy's POV. So something to look forward to. ;)


	3. Familiarity

Envy was standing in the middle of the ward’s main room, transfixed by the strange sight before him. A black square was mounted on the wall, displaying a changing scene with moving characters. There were sounds of gunfire and shouting, with the occasional explosion. The people running around there looked a bit odd, but they were the most familiar looking thing he’d seen since he’d been dragged through the gate. Tearing his gaze away from the moving image he noticed a boy sitting nearby staring at the box with an odd looking device in his hands. The kid looked completely absorbed in what he was doing, apparently having some control over what was happening in the box.

“Cory, you’ve spent enough time on there today. Time to turn it off,” one of the annoying females who were in charge approached the boy, “Where did you find that game anyway? That’s too violent, especially with the younger kids are around,” she chided. Envy heard a muffled gasp of pain from the box and saw a slight spray of blood splatter across the moving image, apparently indicating someone had been shot. He raised a skeptical eyebrow. She considered that to be violent?

“Cory,” The nurse’s voice was sterner than before, “It’s time for supper. Put that away, now.” The boy let out an irritated sigh. He pressed a button on the controller he was holding and fiddled with it as the moving scene froze and changed to something else. It went entirely black a moment later and the boy rose with a sulky expression, heading across the room to where the supper trays were waiting.

Envy blinked and shook his head slightly to clear it. Wherever this world was that Wrath had gotten them sent to, it was very odd.

“William, would you mind getting Curtis from his room? Supper is ready,” Envy realized the young nurse was now addressing him. His lip curled in distaste at her sugary sweet voice and his hands clenched into fists. The image of her body smashed into the wall on the other side of the room came to mind. She more than deserved it for daring to give him orders... Unfortunately, self-control was a much wiser course for the time being. He had discovered the humans here possessed technology he wasn’t prepared to deal with in state he which currently found himself in. He’d already been overwhelmed by several security guards and drugged for acting out violently upon arrival at the hospital several days ago. It wasn’t an experience he cared to repeat...

He turned and headed back to his assigned room without a word. They’d made Wrath his roommate, which was convenient. The kid wasn’t of much use to him without his alchemy, but since he’d gotten them here in the first place there was always a chance he could get them back. They just had to figure out where exactly they were... This was definitely not the same world they’d been in before they were pulled through the gate. They’d figured that out pretty quickly after they had attempted to flee shortly after their arrival. A strange, loud, flying machine had tracked them down and descended on them from the sky. The men that leapt out of it had carried strange guns that shot electricity. Envy had gotten a taste of their power when he’d tried to fight them off. The shock had left him stunned and helpless.

He growled slightly at the memory. It burned like a brand between his eyes that he’d been over powered by mere humans. If he’d been in his normal body things would have gone down very differently. But the body he currently possessed was pathetically weak; pathetically human. It got cold, hungry and tired. It also bled and bruised easily and lacked any form of useful healing abilities. And then there were the strange emotions… They were all more intense than he was used to. He shook his head irritably. Anger was something he was readily familiar with, along with hate, scorn, and bitterness. All of them stemmed from the sin he was named for. He even had some previous experience with fear, an emotion that was all too eager to take over this new body. But what bothered him more were the new emotions that he had never felt before and didn’t understand. They took him off guard at unexpected moments and he wasn’t sure how to react to them. He couldn’t put names to them, they were too alien. But the longer he spent here the more he could feel them beginning to stir.

He pushed open the door to their room and strolled in. Wrath was pressed up against the window across the room, staring out with fascination over the unfamiliar world below. He turned at the sound of Envy’s entrance.

“Hey Env—“ The older boy cut him off with a severe glare, “I-I mean William,” Wrath hastily corrected. Envy had picked out new names for them when they arrived at the hospital. The staff refused to accept their actual names. In fact, they refused to accept most of the things they’d said, which was likely why they were here in the first place. The humans seemed to think they suffered from some sort of illness and had put them on medication. After unsuccessfully attempting to refuse the pills, Envy had taken to hiding them under his tongue. The doctors kept pressuring them to explain where they’d come from, where their families were. They could question him till they were blue in the face for all he cared. They were lucky to be alive after forcing their presence on him.

“So what are we going to do now?” Wrath questioned.

“Eat supper,” Envy scowled.

“What about Lust?” Wrath frowned in confusion. Envy’s expression flickered for a moment in uncertainty. That girl earlier… She’d left in a hurry so he couldn’t say for sure, but he could have sworn he recognized her...

“We don’t know that that’s Lust. Besides, didn’t you kill her? How the hell could she wind up here?” Envy retorted, sounding surer than he felt. “Come on, before those idiots come and check on us,” The green haired teen turned left the room before the younger boy could question him further.

Wrath watched him leave, feeling slightly lost. He’d finally become human with a normal body of his own. But he’d lost his entire world in the process and he’d lost his chance to bring back his mother. And now the only person he knew was Envy….He hadn’t felt this alone since his time spent on Yock Island... Swallowing nervously he followed the older boy.

A short while later the boys found themselves at a table of their own. The other patients sat around two other tables pulled together. There seemed to be just under ten kids on the unit for the weekend. They were a sorry looking bunch in Envy’s opinion, even as humans went. The girl he had noticed before wasn’t there. Perhaps she’d gone home... Wrath was hungrily tearing into the strange, yet tasty food the nurses had called ‘chicken fingers’. The thinly chopped fried potatoes were very originally referred to as ‘fries’. Envy cast a bored glance at his food before letting his gaze roam the room. He wasn’t overly interested in the meal. He still resented the idea of having to consume the same nutrition as the humans.

His wandering gaze lit upon a nurse heading into the room next to their own. A moment later she reappeared followed by a dark haired teenage girl; the same girl from earlier. Envy felt the same spark of recognition he’d felt before as he watched her walk reluctantly into the room and take a seat at the table full of patients. She cast a quick, nervous glance in his direction and froze up when she met his gaze, eyes widening. She hastily looked down at her plate, becoming very interested in its contents. Envy was having trouble believing what his eyes were telling him. She looked younger than he remembered. But there was no mistaking the delicate facial features, curve of her jawline, and her long, sleek, curly hair. The girl was the spitting image of Lust… but what the hell would Lust be doing here?

“Do you think it’s really her?” Wrath asked, following Envy’s gaze to the teenage girl. Envy watched one of her companions nudge her and whisper something in her ear. The girl looked mildly distraught, casting another glance in their direction before sinking lower in her chair and lowering her head so he could no longer see her face. He could see her knees bouncing rapidly beneath the table and her movements as she ate were fast and jerky. He supposed she could be putting on an act for the humans, but even so… she wasn’t behaving like the Lust he remembered.

“I don’t know,” Envy muttered, returning his attention to his plate, finally obeying the gnawing feeling in his stomach and beginning to pick at his meal. In a way it was similar to how he felt when he needed more red stones... Speaking of which, he hadn’t felt any desire for them since he arrived in this world. It was probably something to do with this body.

He bit into the strip of breaded chicken carefully, having previously experienced the joys of a burned mouth. He grudgingly admitted this was one of the better meals he’d had since arriving in this world.

“So what are we going to do now?” Wrath queried, fiddling restlessly with the material of his shirt. It hadn’t taken him long to finish the small meal and he was feeling anxious to be doing something. He wanted to get out of this place. It was boring and uncomfortable. Envy cast an irritated glance at the boy.

“Why don’t you ask one of the nurses? They seem to enjoy giving people things to do,” He scowled. Wrath frowned.

“But how are we going to get out of here? How are we going to get home?” he pressured.

“How should I know?” Envy snapped, shooting a glare at him. The kid was just as annoying as always. Still, in this case he had a point. They needed to find a way to get back to their own world, which meant he needed to find a way of getting them out of this place. First things first he’d confirm whether or not that girl was actually Lust. If she was then she might be of some use to them. If not, he’d have to come up with something else. He glanced at the boy again and sighed. “I’ll figure something out, don’t worry about it,” he relented slightly, seeing the child’s downcast face. Wrath’s expression filled with relief and he nodded. He grabbed his tray and rose to return it to the cart near the desk, an energetic bounce in his step. Envy frowned, watching him leave. He wasn’t quite sure why he’d bothered to reassure him. It wasn’t as if he gave a damn about the brat…

Several hours later Envy sat in the corner of the room, observing Wrath and several other younger patients sitting at one of the tables and drawing with strange, colored, writing utensils known as ‘markers’. A little while ago a nurse had dragged the dark haired boy over to join them, insisting he needed to spend some time with other children. It had been rather entertaining to watch given how stiff and uncomfortable Wrath had been at first. But he’d slowly relaxed and was now interacting easily with the other kids as he drew. He even appeared to be enjoying himself. The nurse had wisely chosen not to bother Envy, taking the warning glare as a hint that he wanted to be left alone.

The green haired teen sighed, feeling boredom and the start of fatigue creeping over him. He suspected everyone would be sent to bed soon. From what he had observed, most of the patients had meds before bed and that was specifically what he was waiting for. The Lust lookalike had quickly disappeared to her room after supper. He was starting to suspect she was avoiding him. He wasn’t allowed to burst into her room if the door was closed, so he was resigned to wait until she was forced to come out again. He glowered across the living area at the short hallway leading to their rooms. It was extremely irritating being forced to wait on what was likely just a stupid human girl, but he had to rule out the possibility of her being Lust before he could move on with forming his plans. 

“Curtis, I have your meds here,” a nurse approached the table of kids, “Kayla, Jamie, Darren, go get your meds from the reception desk please,” She directed the other children sitting with Wrath. They leapt up without complaint and headed over to the desk. The nurse passed Wrath the pill cup and water. The dark haired boy obediently popped two little capsules into his mouth and swallowed the water. “Perfect. It’s time for you to get ready for bed now,” the nurse smiled, taking the empty cups back from the boy. Wrath nodded, giving her a small smile in return. The lady practically beamed, turning and heading back to the desk. Envy rolled his eyes. The younger boy had an interesting effect on the female nurses. Personally he didn’t understand it, but there was no accounting for human women…

His gaze flicked back to the dark haired child. His eyes widened slightly as he watched the boy covertly spit out the two pills and slip them into his pocket. Envy smirked. It appeared the kid was starting to catch on.

“William, go get your meds please,” A short, curly haired nurse called as she walked past. Envy’s eyes flicked to her and he took note of which room she was headed to. Now was his chance. He rose swiftly and made his way over to the desk. The young lady behind the counter smiled irritatingly at him.

“William, right?” She asked. He rolled his eyes.

“Yes,” He replied curtly. She passed him a pill cup and water cup of his own. He threw the pills into his mouth, letting them slip under his tongue, before tipping the water down his throat. He held back a grimace as a thick, sweet taste filled his mouth. The under the tongue method had worked better with the previous pills he’d had. These ones were dissolving much faster than he’d expected.

“I’m sure you’ll feel a little better tomorrow,” He heard the short nurse murmur behind him. He turned and saw her approaching with the Lust lookalike in tow. He stepped away slightly, waiting for the girl to receive her meds before attempting to approach her. “Oh, and the doctor said he forgot to mention that he’s stopped the antidepressant entirely for now,” The nurse said as she handed the girl her pills. He noticed the girl’s eyes widen slightly in alarm.

“Is that a good idea?” She asked nervously. Envy twitched. Her voice had a vaguely familiar ring to it.

“Well they aren’t doing you much good right now,” The nurse pointed out sympathetically. The girl sighed in resignation and swallowed the pills.

“I’m going to bed,” She said quickly. The nurse frowned.

“You’ve been in your room most of the day. You should spend a little time out here before bed,” The lady chided. Envy noticed the girl’s agitation spike visibly, her body tensing, breath coming quicker, and eyes darting around the room nervously.

“I’m really not feeling up to it Anne…can’t it wait till tomorrow?” The girl pleaded. The nurse hesitated a moment, and then caved.

“Well, alright. But just this once,” She said, sounding concerned. The girl nodded, looking relieved, and headed back towards her room. Envy bit back a growl of frustration as the last of the pills dissolved under his tongue. Well, there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. This whole thing had better be worth it.

“I’m getting ready for bed,” He told the nurse at the desk. Not waiting for a response he headed off after the Lust lookalike.

He caught up with her just outside their rooms. Hearing his approach she spun around and eyed him apprehensively. Her posture suggested she was considering fleeing into her room so he came to a halt, not wanting to scare her off. He couldn’t quite figure out why she was reacting so adversely to him. He hadn’t even done anything to her yet... Although the way she was staring at him made him itch to give her something to really be afraid of.

“Solaris?” He questioned, keeping his voice neutral. It seemed like the most likely name for Lust to take, given that it was her old alias. Her expression went blank before growing confused.

“Um…I think you’ve got the wrong person…my name’s Elsie,” She responded hesitantly. The girl shifted uneasily, gaze darting away and then back to his as she struggled with holding eye contact. An overwhelming feeling of frustration and disgust washed over him. Who was he kidding? This girl wasn’t Lust. Even Lust wouldn’t be this pathetic.

“Never mind,” He snapped, turning on his heel and storming into his room, leaving Elsie staring after him in confusion. He’d have to figure out a plan on his own.

Wrath was already in bed, but sat up quickly at Envy’s abrupt entrance. He opened his mouth to ask a question and Envy cut him off.

“She’s not Lust!” He growled, stomping into the washroom and all but slamming the door. Wrath blinked in surprise, staring in puzzlement at the closed door. He doubted Envy could have figured that much out from a two second conversation... The younger boy sighed. Envy had a terrible temper, worse than his own a lot of the time and he was _Wrath_. The teen had to be jumping to conclusions. Still, his words held a note of finality and Wrath didn’t want to push the subject. Maybe he’d approach the girl himself. At least that would give him something interesting to do tomorrow while he waited for Envy to come up with a plan.

Seeing the girl made a strange feeling rise up in his chest. The last time he’d seen that face was when he’d stabbed Lust to death after tricking her into the transmutation circle. He wasn’t certain what the feeling was... guilt maybe? But more important than that was the sense of familiarity he felt from the older girl. Anything familiar was welcome in this strange world; even if she wasn’t really Lust.

He laid back and rolled over to stare at the wall. The sheets felt strange and smelled unfamiliar, and the bed wasn’t very comfortable. The kids he’d been talking to earlier had actually seemed nice; for all that they were human. The longer he stayed in this body the more confused and homesick he became. His usual resentful anger was slowly being replaced by a painful loneliness. He missed Sloth. The thought of never seeing her again was too much to bear so he shoved it aside, ignoring the tears that sprang to his eyes. At this point…he almost even missed that other lady….his other…mother.

He growled, his fist clenching in the sheets. No. He refused to think of her that way. She meant _nothing_ to him! He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, letting it absorb the hot, angry tears. He just had to get home. Then everything would be fine again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about their aliases...well Curtis is a pretty obvious one (Izumi Curtis...yeah...). William is a little complicated. I've actually read several fanfictions in which that was supposedly his name before he turned into a homunculus. I mistakenly thought it was canon, and so I've always thought of Envy's real name as being William...I discovered while writing this that that isn't the case. They don't say what his real name was. But in my mind the name has stuck and so I'm using it anyway. I can't even remember which stories I read that in...but I apologize to the authors. Wasn't my original intent to steal your name. x'D


	4. Confrontation

Chapter 3 - Confrontation

“Elsie, it’s time to wake up,” A familiar voice spoke near her ear, while a hand gently shook her shoulder. She slowly pulled her eyes open to see Anne staring down at her. “Breakfast is ready. I’m glad to see you slept,” the curly haired lady smiled. Elsie blinked sleepily, feeling glued to the bed. “Try not to take too long or your breakfast will get cold,” Anne reminded her before walking away. It took all of Elsie’s willpower to keep her eyes open and not be dragged under into sleep once more. She slowly sat up and took inventory of herself. It came as a blessed relief to find her thoughts were no longer racing wildly through her mind. On the contrary they felt a bit like they were moving through molasses, but for now she was ok with that. The awful fizzing energy had completely disappeared and she felt extremely relaxed. She reluctantly admitted to herself that there were some good things about the antipsychotic medication that her doctor had increased. But she knew from experience the feeling of being smothered in a fuzzy, warm, blanket would start grating on her nerves before long.

She slowly pulled herself out of bed and headed for the door of the room, ignoring her slippers and not bothering to check her appearance in the washroom. She needed to get eating out of the way so that she could just sit and wait for the meds to wear off a bit. Normal daily activities were much more challenging when one felt this dazed. She robotically headed out into the main room and went to collect her tray. Sharon and Damian were already at their table, so she made her way there next.

“Morning Elsie. Finally got some sleep huh?” Sharon greeted her. Elsie sat down with a slow nod and surveyed her breakfast. It was the usual assortment, although there was cereal instead of eggs today. Damian mumbled a greeting, hardly bothering to glance at her. She eyed him in concern, not liking defeated slouch or the empty disinterest in his expression. He obviously still wasn’t doing very well. She knew exactly how he was feeling, and it bugged her that there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to help. With a sigh she focused her attention back on her meal and started on the fruit cup.

A short while later she noticed the occupants of the room next to hers emerge. Since she felt completely flat and calm now her original anxiety about them had vanished, which wasn’t really surprising. She frowned, staring curiously at the older one. She was still a little confused about him approaching her the night before. Obviously he’d mistaken her for someone else. But that name…Solaris…where had she heard it before? Her slowed down thoughts were unable to come up with an answer so she shook her head and let it slide. She continued to stare at the teen thoughtfully. She couldn’t help but wonder what had possessed him to dye his hair green. Or grow it that long for that matter. It was at least as long as her own hair, if not longer. His features were slightly effeminate, giving him an almost elfin appearance. He was certainly unique looking, and as Sharon had pointed out he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes… Still, attractive or not she was getting a bad vibe off of him; even with the medication calming her nerves. There was something frustratingly familiar about him… She still couldn’t pin down what it was.

She watched him slowly gaze around the room, a sleepy glower on his face. Finally he turned and shuffled away towards the breakfast trays. He looked a bit like she felt: a little dazed and slower than normal. Maybe they had him on similar meds.

“Ogling your boyfriend?” Sharon’s smug voice cut through her thoughts. Elsie turned and gave her an exasperated look.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” She stared flatly at the blond girl. Sharon chuckled.

“Well that got a reaction out of you miss zombie,” she teased. Elsie rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the girl rather than take the bait. She didn’t have the energy to argue with her.

Upon finishing breakfast, she returned her tray and headed for her room. She left the door open, so the nurses wouldn’t think she was trying to barricade herself for the day again. All she wanted was something easy to do while she waited for the worst of the fuzziness to wear off. She approached the combination desk/closet by her bed and stared down at the items scattered across its surface. Her sketchpad lay there, still open to the Envy sketch she’d completed the day before. She didn’t feel up to drawing at the moment though. Instead she reached for her I-pod. Climbing onto her bed she stretched out on her stomach, putting her ear buds in and switching on her favorite playlist. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, letting her mind drift with the mix of familiar tunes. She felt the most relaxed she’d felt in days.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she got the uncomfortable feeling that she was being watched. Opening her eyes, she sat up and noticed with a start that someone was standing in the doorway. She was a little surprised to see it was the younger of her new neighbors; the one with black hair. She hadn’t really paid much attention to him so far. He was staring at her curiously, although he grew slightly nervous when she sat up. She pulled out her ear buds and stared at the boy guardedly.

“Can I help you with something?” She asked. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was wrong with the two boys to land them in a psych ward. Was he relatively stable, or would he snap out of the blue?

He seemed to consider her question for a moment before responding with a question of his own.

“What were you doing?” His voice was curious, his big blue eyes giving him an innocent appearance. Elsie blinked, taken slightly off guard. Crazy or not, she had to admit the kid was really cute.

“Um…just listening to my I-pod,” She replied. The boy blinked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“What’s an I-pod?” Elsie stared at the boy’s uncertain expression. Scratch cute. The boy was fricken adorable. But as her slowed down brain processed his words she frowned… He didn’t know what an Ipod was…?

“It’s a device for listening to music. You haven’t heard of it before?” She asked, shifting so she could sit cross-legged. He shook his head. Elsie bit her lip, pondering him for a moment. “What’s your name?” She finally asked.

“I’m Wra-Curtis. My name’s Curtis,” He corrected quickly. Elsie wondered a bit at his trip up, but chalked it up to nerves. He appeared a little uneasy. Feeling the need to reassure him she smiled.

“My name’s Elsie. Do you want to try listening to some music?” She offered, holding up her ear buds. Curtis’s eyes widened and he stared at her warily for a moment before curiosity seemed to win out. He nodded eagerly. Elsie patted the bed beside her, indicating for him to come and sit with her. He hesitated again, but finally entered the room and clambered up next to her. He stared at her curiously.

“Why is your hair so messy today?” He questioned. Elsie blinked, a little startled by the offhanded question. She hadn’t even bothered looking in the mirror this morning so she probably had terrible bed head. She laughed slightly.

“I just haven’t brushed it yet,” She raised an eyebrow at him in amusement, “Your hair is a little messy too mister. Have you brushed yours yet?” Curtis’s eyes widened and he shook his head. He seemed a little startled by her playful response. Elsie smiled and held out at ear bud to him. He took it from her reluctantly and stared at it blankly.

“You put it in your ear, like this,” She pushed her hair aside so he could see her place the other bud in her own ear. He nodded and copied her, fiddling with it a little until it was comfortable. When he was finished Elsie reached for her I-pod and pressed play.

His expression froze and he stared off into space, apparently mesmerised by the novel sensation of music playing in his ear. Elsie watched him in amusement. Part of her was a little uncertain about being friendly to him, especially given the apparent nature of the boy he’d arrived with. But she didn’t get the same vibe off this kid. Maybe it was something to do with female mothering instincts. He was awfully cute. Either way, she was feeling pretty laid back at the moment. It couldn’t hurt to spend some time with him.

“Who is this lady? She sounds sad,” Curtis commented, interrupting her thoughts.

“Oh. She’s the singer from a band called Evanescence,” Elsie explained. Curtis frowned at her.

“What’s a ‘band’?” he asked. Elsie stared at him. Was he serious?

“Um… a group of people that make music together,” she replied. Curtis appeared content with this answer and went back to staring off into the distance. Elsie frowned. Had this kid been living under a rock his whole life? He had to be at least ten years old. Surely he should have heard of these things...

They got through several more songs before Marian showed up at the door. She frowned slightly at seeing to two of them together on the same bed. Elsie rolled her eyes. There was probably some hospital regulation against that.

“Curtis, the doctor wants to see you,” The nurse called. The boy straightened up a little.

“Oh. Ok,” He pulled the ear bud out of his ear, handing it back to Elsie with a hesitant smile. Elsie took it from him, feeling the unexpected urge to hug the kid. He turned and slipped down from the bed, and then froze. Elsie blinked in surprise, following his wide eyed gaze to find him staring at her open sketch pad.

“You ok Curtis?” She asked, a little concerned by the boy’s expression. He snapped out of it abruptly, nodding hastily and all but fleeing the room. Elsie stared after him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. What had gotten him so freaked out?

“Elsie, you aren’t technically allowed to let him into your room,” The red headed nurse pointed out. Elsie gave her a wilted look.

“Marian, he’s a little kid. I can see the issue if I’d let Damian, or that other strange guy in here. But him? Really?” Marian sighed.

“Rules are rules Elsie. I know you understand that,” She replied, giving her a pointed look before turning and heading back into the main room. Elsie sighed, lying back on her bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Envy was furious. Or rather, he would be if he could muster the energy to get worked up. He felt absurdly fuzzy and relaxed. He _hated_ it. This would never have happened if he hadn’t wasted his time approaching that girl. Stupid, pathetic humans and their damn medication... He couldn’t think straight to make escape plans when he was like this. He was currently pacing up and down his room, desperately trying to fight off the warm, tired feeling. He’d never felt this way before and it was unnerving.

He came to a stop by the window, massaging his temples and trying to focus his thoughts. The large multilane road which the window overlooked was filled with traffic. He’d never seen automobiles like the ones that were zipping by out there. There was a mass of buildings on the horizon, not to mention the other buildings clustered around the hospital. He suspected the building across the street was a school, but he couldn’t be sure...

A frown creased his brow. Even once he figured out a way to escape from this place, he had no idea where to go next. He wasn’t even sure what exactly he was looking for. It was difficult to enquire about returning to a world that everyone around you thought you were crazy for mentioning. He hadn’t noticed any alchemy being used or spoken of since he got here. Without that, he really had no idea how to get home… Still, there had to be a way. He refused to be stuck in this body for the rest of his life. It was far too inconvenient to be tolerated. He let out a sigh before turning and making his way to his bed to sit down. First things first, they had to escape. Considering the heavy security doors on the entrances to all of the units, breaking out by force would be a challenge to say the least. He wasn’t sure what their other options were though...

At that moment the door burst open and Wrath came barrelling into the room. Envy glanced over at the boy, raising his eyebrows skeptically.

“Have a nice doctor’s appointment?” He asked dryly. His only response was the sound of the boy’s labored breathing. Envy frowned, giving him a closer look. He appeared rather distraught, eyes wide and filled with urgency. Envy leaned forward. “Well what is it?” he demanded sharply, “What happened?” Wrath finally seemed to catch his breath. But the first words from his mouth only served to confuse Envy even more.

“She knows who you are!” Wrath gasped, sounding alarmed yet slightly excited. Envy blinked, trying to process the sentence with a slower than normal brain.

“What the hell are you talking about?” He demanded finally, his tone harsh.

“She knows who you—“

“I heard you the first time!” Envy cut the boy off impatiently, “Who is _she_?”

“Elsie,” Wrath replied. Seeing the older boy’s irritated confusion he added, “The girl that looks like Lust!” Envy’s eyes widened.

“What are you saying? That she is Lust after all?” He sounded doubtful. Wrath shook his head.

“No, she doesn’t really seem like it. But she has a drawing of you—“

“She drew me?” Envy appeared mildly disturbed. The girl had barely spoken to him… Why the hell would she be drawing him?

“No, I mean the real you! The way you looked back in our world. In your normal outfit and everything,” Wrath’s voice adamant voice left no question as to his seriousness. Envy drew in a sharp breath, growing very still. He stared straight ahead while his mental gears began to turn. If what Wrath said was true then this girl had knowledge of their world somehow. She might hold the key to their plans of returning home after all.

“How did you find this drawing?” Envy’s gaze returned to the boy with an alarming intensity.

“I, um…well I was just in her room with her and I saw her sketchpad on the desk—“ Envy rose and headed toward the door of the room, not needing any more information. “Envy, hang on! What are you doing?” Wrath followed close behind him anxiously. When the older boy got like this there was no telling what sort of trouble he planned on stirring up.

Envy pulled open the bedroom door carefully and peered out. All of the nurses were congregated at the front desk, enjoying a break during the ward’s ‘quiet time’. All the other patients were in their rooms. A grin crept across his face. This was perfect. Without further thought he slipped out of his room and made for the room next door. Wrath made an exasperated sound and followed hot on his heels.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elsie sat up and stretched. She could still feel the fuzziness of the meds in her system, but it wasn’t as bad as earlier. Maybe she could read or sketch or something. Damn she’d be happy to go home... Her thoughts trailed to a halt, anxiety creeping into her mind. Her mother really hadn’t been doing very well when Elsie had been admitted to the ward. The older woman never took very good care of herself when she was like that… Elsie shook her head, trying not the think about it.

It was her own fault she was stuck here. She’d started into a depressive episode of her own several weeks ago. Then antidepressants she’d been prescribed ended up bumping her up a little too high. But rather than mentioning that to her doctor she’d kept it to herself, believing that somehow she would be better able to look after her mother if she was a little higher than normal. Of course it didn’t take long for things to spiral out of control from there…She shook her head at her own stupidity. She wished there was someone she could contact to check in on her mother. But she could only contact close family while she was stuck here and her family was pretty spread out and distant.

With a sigh she got to her feet and headed over to her desk. She heard a sound behind her and jumped slightly, whirling around in surprise. No one was supposed to leave their rooms during quiet time unless they needed something; which was why she was completely taken off guard to see the green haired teen slipping into her room. William she’d heard the nurses call him. He was followed closely by Curtis, who let the door slip quietly shut behind him. Adrenalin spiked through Elsie’s veins, cutting through the drug in her system. What the hell were these two up to?

William began stalking towards her and she backed away from him warily until her back met the wall on the opposite side of the room. She knew nothing about these boys' disorders, which was precisely what scared her. She hadn’t a clue why they were in her room, but she was aware she was probably treading on thin ice. She had to get the nurses attention. She opened her mouth to scream, when William lunged forward and clamped a hand down on her throat with bruising force, cutting off any attempt at sound.  
“Make a noise and I won’t hesitate to snap your neck,” his voice was soft, but threatening. Elsie scrabbled at his fingers in an attempt to peel them off so she could breathe. A feeling panic was rising in her at the lack of air. He smirked sardonically at her, tightening his hand in response.

“Envy!” Curtis hissed, sounding angry, “Let her go before you kill her!” William scoffed, but carelessly dropped her. Elsie’s knees buckled and she hit the floor gasping. Her neck was throbbing painfully and her thoughts were going a mile a minute. What did these guys want? Were they going to kill her? Were they delusional? Obviously William was a little sadistic. What was his issue? She pushed herself to a sitting position, still breathing heavily.

“What do you want?” She demanded hoarsely. Fear was eating at her as her gaze flicked between the faces of the two boys. William crouched down in front of her, causing her to lean away from him as far as possible.

“How do you know who I am?” the question was simple enough, but the threatening tone gave it a weightier meaning. 

“What are you talking about? I _don’t_ know who you are!” she protested.

“Wrath!” William jerked his head around to glare at the boy, “Bring the sketchpad,” Elsie’s frown grew confused. Wrath? And earlier hadn’t Curtis called William Envy? What the hell…? William snatched the sketchpad from the boy and held it up in front of her.

“Care to explain?” He growled, staring at her intently. Elsie’s eyes flicked to the drawing of Envy, and back to William in confusion. What was she supposed to explain? That she liked drawing anime? And then it clicked.

She could practically feel the color drain from her face as her heart kicked into double time. It was absurd. But there was definitely a strong resemblance now that she looked at them side by side. Not enough that she’d been able to put a finger on his familiarity before. He had a more masculine build and his hair didn’t hang the same way. But the guy did look like Envy. No wonder she’d gotten a bad vibe from him. And Curtis… her gaze darted briefly to the boy. She could see the familiarity in him too. The kid could probably pull off a wicked Wrath cosplay... But what was she supposed to take away from this? They might look eerily similar to the anime characters, but that didn’t mean anything…did it? From the expectant looks she was getting from the boys, obviously they thought it did. Her eyes met Williams, noting that they were very much grey, and not purple. The angry spark was pretty convincing though.

“Are you saying you think you’re Envy?!” She finally blurted. William’s expression went blank, apparently taken aback. Then abruptly she was slammed against the wall. She gasped as her head cracked against the drywall and she saw stars. William loomed over her glaring darkly.

“ _Think_ I’m Envy? I _am_ Envy you human scum,” he spat, looking every inch the pissed off homunculus at the moment. Elsie stared up at him wide eyed, not even sure how to respond to that. If he was telling the truth…well that was impossible. She couldn’t even consider that possibility without risking her sanity. It would mean she was likely delusional and hallucinating again. She wasn’t going to touch that Pandora’s Box with a ten foot pole. The only other possible explanation was that _they_ were delusional. That would certainly explain why they’d been institutionalized.

“Ok then, let’s say you are Envy. Why are you here and why the hell are you harassing me?” she demanded, managing to keep her voice from wavering despite her growing terror. It didn’t really matter if he was some delusional guy who thought he was Envy, or if he was actually the real thing. Either way the odds were about the same of her winding up seriously injured or dead.

“I’ll repeat the question. How do you know who I am?” He dangled the sketchpad in front of her face impatiently. Elsie’s brain was working furiously to make sense of the situation.

“…You mean how do I know about the character, or….?” She trailed off uncertainly. William frowned.

“What do you mean ‘character’?” he demanded. She blinked.

“Envy is an anime character...” she nervously stated the obvious. A puzzled expression settled across William’s features.

“Huh?” was his eloquent response. Elsie sighed.

“Do you know what anime is?” She asked.

“No,” William leaned away from her, eyeing her suspiciously. Elsie made a sound of exasperation. First Curtis didn’t know about I-pods or bands, and now William had never heard of anime. Where had these boys been all their lives?! A doubt flickered in the back of her mind, but she crushed it. It wasn’t possible that they were actually from some other dimension. That was absurd. 

“An anime is an animated Japanese manga. It’s a TV show,” she explained. Both boys stared at her as if she had started speaking utter gibberish. “What’s difficult to understand about that?” She asked, puzzled. 

“What’s a TV?” Curtis frowned in confusion.

“We’re not well informed about the technology in this world,” William snapped, impatience weighing out over puzzlement, “How is it that you’re familiar enough with me to be accurately drawing me?” if she hadn’t been so extremely confused she might’ve gotten a chuckle out of the disturbed tone in his voice.

“I don’t just draw Envy; there are other characters in there too. They’re all from Fullmetal Alchemist, which you should already be aware of if you think you’re Envy…” Elsie explained reluctantly. She really needed to get the attention of one of the nurses somehow. This was starting to creep her out. William’s eyes widened, and then a moment later he lunged at her. She dove out of the way with a yelp, before scrambling to her feet and looking around wildly for something to defend herself with. She spotted a pencil on Diana’s desk and made a move to grab it. William leapt to his feet and grabbed her before she got the chance. Grasping the front of her hoody he jerked her up so they were eye to eye. He looked furious.  
“How the hell do you know about that pipsqueak?!” He hissed, eyes blazing with a hatred that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Elsie had had enough.

“Would you _lay off_!” She yelled shoving him roughly and catching him off guard enough to make him let go and stumble backwards. “He doesn’t exist! He’s a cartoon! A _fictional_ character! You’re both nuts! Get the hell out of my room and stay away from me!” She snatched up the pencil and held it up threateningly, quivering with adrenalin and fear. William looked a little stunned by her outburst but his expression quickly darkened. For a minute she wondered if he was going to full out attack her. Then Curtis latched on to his arm.

“Envy, leave her alone!” He demanded, voice startlingly harsh compared to how it usually sounded. William opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of a nurse approaching the room.

“What’s going on in there?” Marian demanded, pushing open the door. Elsie hastily dropped the pencil behind her. Both boys froze, eyes filling with apprehension at being caught. “Elsie, are you alright? Were they hurting you?” Marian stepped forward hesitantly, trying to gauge the atmosphere of the room to decide whether or not to call for reinforcements. Elsie’s gaze snapped to the two boys and found them staring at her with a guarded nervousness which surprised her. They didn’t want her to rat them out... She couldn’t know for sure what would happen to them if she did. Still, they deserved it. Her gaze moved to Curtis and she hesitated. Well…he might be delusional, but he hadn’t actually done anything wrong. And he’d get punished right along with William… Plus there was something about their story…

“No , no, I’m fine,” Elsie said, hardly believing what she was saying, “We just got into a silly argument and I lost my temper,” she managed to paste a sheepish look onto her face. Marian looked skeptical, her gaze resting for a moment on the boys, before returning to Elsie.

“Well…if you say so. Boys,” Her voice was sharp, “Get back to your room. You shouldn’t have left it in the first place. And Elsie, what did I say to you about having boys in your room? We were just talking about this earlier,” she sounded exasperated. Elsie’s eyes flicked to William and she found his gaze boring into her with an unnerving intensity, clearly trying to figure out why on earth she was covering for them. Elsie wasn’t entirely sure herself. He abruptly whipped around and left the room, followed shortly thereafter by Curtis. The younger boy glanced back at her anxiously at the door. Elsie gave him an uncertain smile, letting it fall from her face as he disappeared around the corner. “I’m going to have to make an issue out of this if it keeps happening,” Marian warned in a disapproving tone. Elsie nodded.

“It won’t happen again,” at least, that’s what she hoped. Marian sighed.

“Alright, well I’ll leave you alone for another ten minutes. Quiet time’s over after that,” she hesitated a moment, “Elsie…there isn’t anything going on between you and those boys is there?” Elsie gave her puzzled look.

“I’m not sure what you mean,”

“Well… they’re just very confused. Please be careful with them,” Marian cautioned. Elsie nodded. She’d figured that much out herself. Appearing satisfied with Elsie’s answer Marian left, closing the door behind her.

Elsie leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, pulling her knees up to rest her head on. What the hell had just happened? Why had she covered for them? There was nothing stopping William from coming after her again and next time might end with something worse than a sore throat and a bruised head. He was obviously unstable, not to mention delusional. Maybe she should go report him right now. If she reported him specifically, then Curtis would be left out of it…

But something made her hesitate. Their story was so bizarre. She’d heard of crazy fans that went to extremes, but these guys were a little beyond that. Growing your hair out and dyeing it was one thing. Having facial features and voices that eerily matched the characters was another. Trying to act out the character’s personalities wasn’t abnormal. But actually believing you were the character was just plain nuts. William definitely thought he was Envy. And either he was a good actor, or he had a naturally bad enough attitude to rival Envy’s. She frowned. She barely knew Curtis but he seemed awfully sweet for someone that thought he was Wrath. Then again, Wrath had been a pretty cute kid before Envy made him all…wrathful...

Elsie shook her head vigorously and massaged her temples. What the hell was she thinking? She wasn’t actually considering the possibility that… No, no way. She obviously needed more meds. If she actually started buying into that then it would mean she’d gone off the deep end. Again. Not an experience she cared to repeat if she could help it. She let out a deep, shuddering breath. They were definitely nuts. But…they had also piqued her interest. None of the other patients she’d met here so far had been anything like these two. And it was absurdly boring around the ward most of the time... As long as William didn’t try to attack her again, maybe she’d hold off on reporting him… for now anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Envy once again found himself pacing up and down the bedroom. Wrath sat on his bed watching him warily. The older boy appeared to be getting steadily more agitated. Perhaps the drug in his system was wearing off faster from the excitement.

“Why would she say that? It makes no sense. She had the perfect opportunity to get rid of us!” Envy griped, coming to a stop in front of his dark haired companion.

“Maybe she believes us after all?” Wrath suggested guardedly. Envy snorted.

“She thinks we’re crazy, just like all the other humans,” he replied dismissively, turning towards the window to glare out at the world below.

“How can you be sure?” Wrath asked, pulling a knee up to wrap his arms around. Envy glanced back at the boy with a raised eyebrow.

“You saw her reaction. Going on about how the pipsqueak doesn’t exist,” he scoffed, “If only that were true,” His gaze returned to the window once more. Humans made no sense. Then again… his lips pulled into a crooked smirk as a thought occurred to him. “Maybe she’s just bored,” he commented. Wrath frowned.

“What do you mean?” He asked. Envy shrugged lazily.

“Well, she has been stuck here longer than us. She has to be sick and tired of the place by now. From what I gather this isn’t a place humans like go to of their own free will,” he explained.

“So…?” Wrath raised his eyebrows, still not sure what the older boy was getting at.

“Well we obviously got her attention. Now she’s curious. Humans have a terrible tendency of giving in to that sort of thing. And this is something we can use to our advantage,” His expression twisted in dark amusement.

“Because she won’t try to get rid of us?” Wrath asked.

“Well hopefully. It should also make it easier to get information out of her. She knows who we are, even if she doesn’t believe us. She mentioned the Fullmetal _brat_ ,” Envy spat the name loathingly, “And she admitted she knows who I am, even if she doesn’t believe it’s actually me.”

“So you think she can help us get home?” Wrath questioned.

“Maybe,” Envy grimaced at the idea of having to rely on a human girl for help. “There’s no way to know for sure. But she’s the only lead we have right now,” he sank into thought.

The biggest problem would be getting the information out of her. For the first time in his existence he lacked the ability to shape shift. On top of which, torturing the information out of her was impossible in their current situation. An irritated expression crept onto his face. He might have to actually be civil with her… friendly even. That is, if he hoped to get anything useful out of her. He couldn’t intimidate her into explaining things without risking her selling him out to the nurses.

“Wrath!” He snapped abruptly. The boy jumped slightly.

“What?” His voice was filled with apprehension.

“I need you to get close to her. Human females seem to like you for some reason so it shouldn’t be too difficult,” Envy ordered. Wrath gave him a puzzled expression.

“Umm…ok? Why?” he asked doubtfully. Frustration flashed across Envy’s face.

“We just finished talking about it dimwit! We need to find out what she knows. And in order to do that we have to get closer to her. As it stands right now, she’s afraid of me. But she isn’t afraid of you. So we need to make use of that,” Envy explained impatiently. He let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. He frowned when his fingers met skin instead of his usual headband. A feeling of frustrated uneasiness swept through him. He had to get out of this place and back to his own dimension… before he really did go crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hospital staff in this story are a tad bit friendlier and more relaxed than the ones in the actual ward I was in. ^^; Don't get me wrong, most of the staff were pretty decent all things considered. But I think it's normal for people to get a little jaded in that line of work. It's not an easy job.


	5. Explanations

The next day Wrath was waiting in the living area for Elsie to finish her meal. He’d been watching her since she came out of her room earlier. After seeing how she interacted with the other patients and the staff, he’d come to the conclusion that she couldn’t be Lust. She came across as a lot less intimidating than the homunculus had been, almost shy even. And Lust certainly hadn’t been shy. He shifted a little in his chair, fingers idly drumming the table. This place was so boring. Yock Island had been more interesting than this. He missed Sloth. He’d always felt content with her. If only he hadn’t acted so rashly she never would have died, and he would never have ended up in this mess… he frowned unhappily down at the table. Above anything else he wished he could go back and change the decisions he’d made that day. If he hadn’t taken that box of earth from Edward then maybe… He shook his head. Thoughts like that wouldn’t get him anywhere.

His eyes flicked back to Elsie as she rose to return her tray. Well, it was now or never. He got to his feet and followed her to the breakfast cart.

“Hey, umm…Elsie?” He asked uncertainly. She turned to face him, looking slightly startled.

“Yes?” She asked. Wrath glanced down, scuffing his foot nervously.

“Can I…listen to some more music with you?” He asked. Elsie stared at him for a minute, clearly trying to decide whether she could trust him. After yesterday he couldn’t really blame her if she didn’t. Finally she smiled at him.

“Sure! I’ll just go grab my ipod. We can listen in the living area,” She replied, turning and heading back toward her room. Wrath blinked, taken off guard by her rather friendly response. Maybe Envy had been right about his ability to get close to her after all...

A short while later Wrath found himself sitting next to Elsie on the small couch off to one side of the living area. He’d never heard anything like the music that was playing from the small earplug he was wearing. It was incredible.

“So Curtis,” Elsie began, sounding a little hesitant, “About yesterday…” Wrath glanced at her, wondering where exactly she was going with this. “I take it you’re supposed to be Wrath?” She asked. Wrath nodded slowly. Supposed to be? So she really didn’t believe them after all…

“How do you know about us?” He asked. Elsie wavered, seeming unsure of how to respond.

“Well…that’s… umm. Well how exactly did you get here? I mean, what about your powers and stuff?” She countered his question with one of her own. Wrath chewed his lip thoughtfully. Why was she avoiding the question?

“Well, we lost our powers when we came to this dimension. I think we might be human now,” He explained gravely. She stared at him, a mix of emotions flickering across her face. Wrath sighed. “You don’t believe me,” it was more of a statement than a question.

“Well…” She sounded uncertain, “Let’s say that what you’re saying is true. That’s a pretty big pill to swallow, even for someone like me.”

“Someone like you?” Wrath asked curiously. Elsie looked bemused and gestured to the room around them.

“Well, I’m in a psych ward. I must be a little nuts to begin with, right?” She commented dryly. Wrath frowned.

“I don’t think you’re nuts…” he objected. Elsie raised an eyebrow.

“You barely know me,” she pointed out with a smile, “But I appreciate the sentiment. Why are you guys here?” She asked.

“Well... you aren’t the only person who doesn’t believe our story,” Wrath glanced across the room at the reception desk where several nurses were conversing. They were far enough away not to notice their conversation and start heckling them. Elsie nodded in understanding.

“So… why exactly did you guys approach me yesterday?” She asked. Wrath shifted uneasily, not entirely sure how to go about explaining their situation. Fortunately he didn’t end up having to.

“Because we need to get out of this place and back to our own dimension,” Envy said. He had approached without their noticing and was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He glanced over at them, expression neutral. Wrath could feel Elsie tense up beside him.

“And what do I have to do with that?” She asked, turning to meet Envy’s gaze. 

“You’re the first human we’ve run into who knows who we are,” Envy replied. “Obviously you have information that could help us.” Elsie frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” She said.

“At least explain how you know about us,” Envy demanded, struggling to keep a neutral expression and tone despite his frustration. Elsie bit her lip.

“Look, assuming I believed you, it would be really complicated to explain. But I can’t believe you, so I don’t think there’s any point in going there,” She replied, voice firm as she continued to hold his gaze unwaveringly. Envy stared at her with a thoughtful frown. Wrath glanced at Elsie curiously. She’d said she couldn’t believe them, not that she didn’t. What was stopping her? Was it something in what they’d said to her, or something else?

“You’re acting different than you were two days ago,” Envy commented, “What changed?” he sounded almost suspicious. The skittish, twitchiness had disappeared, and aside from the obvious tension in the air she appeared calm and composed. A surprised look passed over Elsie’s face at the abrupt turn of the conversation.

“Medication,” she smiled crookedly. Envy raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“That stuff actually helps you? What the hell is the matter with you?” It was meant as an offhanded comment, but Elsie took him seriously.

“I have Bipolar Disorder,” She retorted flatly. Both of the boy’s expressions grew blank.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?” Envy finally broke the silence that had formed over them, his tone skeptical. Elsie stared at him for a long moment, before shaking her head in bewilderment.

“You know, I’m used to people completely misunderstanding my disorder… but I’ve never run into someone who’s never even heard of it before,” her tone was bemused, “It’s a mood disorder. It’s…kind of complicated. I won’t bore you with the details…” she explained evasively. Envy rolled his eyes.

“So basically you’re saying you’re as defective as the rest of the humans in here,” his tone was coldly mocking. Elsie looked a little taken aback by the harshness of his statement. Then her expression grew stony and she glanced away from him. 

“If that’s how you want to look at it,” she replied curtly. She got to her feet abruptly. “I’m going back to my room for a bit. Excuse me,” She gave Wrath a slightly apologetic smile before collecting her I-pod and heading off in the direction of her room. Both boys stared after her, a little surprised at her sudden departure.

“Good job. Looks like you hurt her feelings,” Wrath remarked, shooting Envy an annoyed look.

“How was I supposed to know she had a sore spot there?” Envy retorted, sounding more amused than irritated.

“You should apologize,” Wrath said.

“Why the hell would I want to do that?” Envy gave him an incredulous look. The boy shrugged.

“You’re the one that said we had to get close to her,” he pointed out. Envy glared at the younger boy.

“I’m not apologizing to anyone, let alone some human scum,” he muttered. Wrath gave him a severe look.

“You are human now, so you might want to stop insulting yourself. It makes you sound like an idiot,” the boy’s tone was crisp. Provoking Envy wasn’t usually a good idea, but the teen was starting to get on his nerves. Envy’s eyes widened with anger and he took a threatening step towards the younger boy.

“What did you call me you little brat?” He hissed, temper quick to flare up.

“Do you want me to repeat myself?” Wrath smirked infuriatingly.

“Why you little—“ Envy started towards him and then abruptly stopped himself. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. Wrath’s expression grew perplexed.

“Something wrong?” He asked. Envy chuckled slightly, opening his eyes again.

“Nice try brat, but you aren’t baiting me into attacking you. I’m not that stupid,” His eyes flicked toward the nurses at the reception desk. The last thing he needed was to get swarmed by the lot of them.

“Really?” Wrath drawled, “You could’ve fooled me…” Envy gave him a look of consternation.

“Look here! Just what’s gotten into you? If anyone should be trying to pick fights around here it should be me,” He pointed out in exasperation. Wrath raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“What’s gotten into me? What’s gotten into _you_? Since when did you get so laid back?” He challenged.

“Laid back?!” Envy’s voice cracked slightly.

“William! Inside voice please,” One of the nurses called from the desk. Wrath giggled slightly. Envy glared at him.

“Whatever!” He spun on his heel and walked away in the direction of their room.

Envy fumed silently as he walked down the hall. Just what had gotten into that little punk? What did he mean by ‘laid back’ anyway? He couldn’t be constantly exploding at people, as much as he wanted to, or he’d get stuck back on the high security side. Although he had to admit, self-control was coming easier than normal... The humans were getting less infuriating and more simply annoying. He suspected it was something to do with the emotions he felt in this body. It wasn’t something he was thrilled about. Starting to act like a human unintentionally was a problem. Perhaps the strange feelings would go away once he had his real body back... He came to an abrupt halt, glaring furiously at the floor. If he kept thinking like this he’d start sounding like that obnoxious Fullmetal brat. _We need the philosopher’s stone so we can get our real bodies back!_ The annoying voice echoed through his mind. He shook his head. When had he become so introspective? He was far more comfortable acting on things than ruminating about them.

With this in mind he hesitated outside his door, eyes flicking to the door to his left. He sure as hell wasn’t going to apologize to her. But maybe he could get some more information out of her if he kept pushing... He stepped up to it and knocked firmly. A moment or two passed before it was pulled open a slightly by Elsie. She looked startled to see him and planted herself in the opening of the door, preparing to slam it shut if necessary.

“What do you want?” She demanded guardedly. Standing face to face like this Envy realized with a slight shock that he was in fact taller than her by several inches. Lust had always been about half a foot taller than him, so either he’d grown, or this girl was shorter than Lust. Her green eyes glared unhappily at him. She obviously wasn’t his biggest fan at the moment.

“Ok, truce. I’ll stop being a jerk if you’ll give me the information I’m asking for,” He offered abruptly. Then he blinked, surprised at his own words. Elsie appeared equally startled.

“Is that even possible?” She murmured, mostly to herself.

“Hey, you barely know me. That isn’t fair,” Envy objected with a frown; although realistically her skepticism wasn’t inaccurate... Elsie brushed back the hair spilling over her shoulders and pointed to her neck. Envy noticed several purple marks mottling her skin from where his fingers had squeezed the previous day.

“That tells me everything I need to know about you,” She replied darkly. Envy let out a low whistle.

“You humans sure bruise easily,” He commented. Elsie flashed him an irritated look.

“You sound like you don’t believe you’re a human yourself... Oh, that’s right, you think you’re a homunculus,” She sounded mildly sarcastic. Envy bit his lip to keep from snapping at her. Once again he was reminded of his human body, both by the smoothness of his teeth and by his miraculous new self-control that kept him from strangling her again.

“Regardless of whether you believe us,” he strained to keep his voice neutral, “I need to know the information you have.” Elsie eyed him speculatively.  
“Well then… you tell me how the two of you somehow wound up in this dimension, in a psych ward, with no powers, and I’ll explain a bit about the anime you’re from,” She offered, her tone skeptical. Envy stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable.

“Fine,” he replied finally, “But you might as well come back to the living area so Wrath can be a part of this,” Elsie blinked at the use of Wrath’s name.

“Alright, I’ll be there in a sec,” She shut the door in his face. Envy stared at the wood grains for a moment. Was she actually coming, or was she just blowing him off? He glared at the door, wanting to shove it open and drag her out to get the information he wanted. Instead he took a deep breath and headed back to the living area. He’d just have to be patient. Either way she had to come out eventually.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elsie stood at the door, sketchpad in hand. She was still fighting an internal battle over what those boys were saying. She knew it was impossible. But she couldn’t shake the strange feeling she got from them; especially William. There was something about him that made her skin crawl. She was better able to cope with it under the influence of the increased medication, but he stilled scared her a bit. Well… she’d told him she would explain things. She drew in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Even an Envy imposter probably wasn’t going to react well. Then again, they couldn’t exactly attack her with the nurses around. Or if they did, they wouldn’t have time to do much damage…she hoped.

She pulled open the door and made her way into the living area once again, sketchpad tucked under her arm. Curtis looked up at her from his spot on the couch…she couldn’t think of him as Wrath; just like she couldn’t think of William as Envy. She was too worried she’d slip back into being delusional and she couldn’t afford that. The sooner she got better the sooner she could get back to her mother. She didn’t want to risk a setback.

Her gaze flicked to William, who had pulled a chair closer to the couch. He was watching her intently, his fingers drumming on the chair arm indicating his impatience. She steeled herself and approached the couch, sitting back down next to Curtis.

“Alright,” she said, “You said you’d explain things first,” She hugged the sketchpad protectively, almost like a shield. Curtis glanced at William, who sighed.

“Well, how much do you know in the first place? Our explanation won’t make sense if you don’t understand it,” William sounded bored. Elsie frowned.

“Assume I know everything,” She replied. William raised his eyebrows.

“Well then,” He said, “The brat here is to blame.”  
“Hey!” Curtis protested, “I didn’t want to get dragged back into the gate…” He shuddered.

“And a nice lot of good you did by meddling with the stone,” William snapped. Elsie’s eyes widened.

“Wait, what?” she asked. William’s eyes flicked to her in annoyance.

“I thought you said you knew everything,” He replied snidely.

“Yeah but… that’s not in the storyline…” She murmured uncertainly.

“Storyline?” Curtis looked confused. Elsie frowned again, shaking her head.

“Just explain what happened,” She said firmly. William sighed, exasperation evident in his expression.

“It’s exactly what I said. Everything was set for _Master_ ,” he sneered, “to use the philosopher’s stone to switch bodies. Then this fool showed up and ruined everything,” He gestured at Curtis. Curtis stared at the ground, making no move to deny it. “He did something with the stone by activating it before the gate got to him. He, the stone, and I got dragged into the gate. Next thing we knew we wound up here, in these pathetic, powerless bodies. When we tried getting information out of the humans we came across, they locked us up here,” William scowled at her before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, “So. You’ve heard our story. Now start explaining.”

Elsie stared at him incredulously. That was… an interesting story to make up on the spot. Aside from the fact that it wasn’t anywhere in the storyline, it seemed like it could actually be plausible if it was thrown in as a twist. Except… it wasn’t, and these boys were delusional. William must just be good at coming up with stories... That or they’d spent a while making it up. And now they expected her to explain the anime to them. She took a deep breath, bracing herself before plunging headlong into an explanation.

“Well…It all starts with an anime called Fullmetal Alchemist...”

Sometime later they sat in silence. Curtis was flipping through her sketch pad, examining the various characters with interest. William was staring at Elsie, but his eyes had a distant look as if he was lost in thought. Elsie was trying her best to focus on taking deep, soothing breaths. She could feel her meds were wearing off and she’d gotten an adrenalin spike from trying to explain things to them. It had gone over a little better than she had expected. At least William hadn’t completely blown up. But she suspected that was partly because he was confused. Both of them were. They couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea that their whole supposed life was just a popular young adult story in this dimension. She’d only given them a brief overview to mull over, and she had left out the ending. She didn’t want to risk provoking either of them. Unfortunately she had a feeling William would start pressuring her for it shortly.

As it turned out she was right.

“You said there was an ending,” William began, “How does it end?” His eyes refocused on her with a spark of curiosity. Elsie blanched.

“I’d rather not say. Obviously, if you’re here, it didn’t come to pass anyway,” She muttered, not meeting his gaze. She was having more and more trouble not believing them the more time she spent with them. It had to be the meds wearing off... She massaged her temples, hoping she’d be able to come up with an excuse to get away from them for a bit.

“Hey, you guys,” Sheila called from the reception desk, “Lunch is here, come get it!” Elsie felt an unusual surge of gratitude towards the young nurse. She practically leapt to her feet and made a beeline for the lunch cart, leaving both boys staring after her.

It took her a moment to find her tray since her nerves were frazzled. When she finally found it she turned to find Curtis and William right behind her. She sidestepped them so they could get at the cart and headed towards the tables. Amazingly enough, the rest of the patients hadn’t arrived yet. She took a seat at an empty table, closing her eyes momentarily to recompose herself. A moment later she heard two other chairs at the table scrape backwards. She snapped her eyes open and gasped quietly. Curtis had taken a seat beside her and William was sitting across from her.

“You left your sketchpad,” Curtis pointed out, setting it on the table beside her tray.

“Oh, umm…thank you…” Her gaze flicked to William and she gave him a questioning look. He smirked, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.

“You still haven’t told us the ending. If I have to stalk you until you explain things further I will,” He warned, although his voice wasn’t particularly threatening.

“I already told you the ending doesn’t matter since you’ve clearly changed it,” Elsie shot back.

“It matters to me. I warn you, I’m stubborn,” He replied dryly. She blinked. She wasn’t getting the usual hostile vibes off of him…

“Well… I am too,” She replied. If it came down to contest of wills, she was pretty confidant she could win. She might not be outgoing, but she wasn’t a doormat either. He hummed skeptically but chose not to comment. She returned her attention to her tray, feeling a prick of bemusement. Something told her she wouldn’t be quite as bored for the next little while… although she wasn’t entirely sure if that was a positive thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty so in this particular chapter on fanfiction.net I launched into an overview of what Bipolar Disorder actually is in the author's note. Since it's long enough that it wont fit into this author's note, here is the link if you happen to be interested: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9401314/5/By-Virtue-of-Humanity


	6. Loss

“Happy birthday!” The nurse known as Anne handed Elsie a small stuffed animal.

“Oh…Just what I’ve always wanted: A stuffed hedgehog,” Elsie smirked, turning it over in her hands.

“Yeah it’s not much. But hopefully you can celebrate with your family once you get home,” Anne said sympathetically, before bustling away to check on her patient for the day.

Elise, Diana, Sharon, Damian and Envy were all seated around one of the tables in the living area. Just over a week had passed since Envy and Wrath had talked Elsie into spilling some of her information. Much to Envy’s frustration, he hadn’t succeeded in getting anything further out of her. She seemed to have closed herself off from them completely on that front, no matter how friendly they were with her. Being pushy didn’t work very well either. She’d continued to grow less skittish and more stubborn the more time passed. She claimed it was because she was getting back to relative stability again with her disorder.

“Awe, can I see it for a sec?” Sharon asked. Elsie passed the stuffed animal to her.

“I never expected I’d spend my 17th birthday in a psych ward,” She commented dryly.

“That’s kind of a bummer. But you’ll be getting to go home soon right?” Diana pointed out. Elsie’s eyes lit up.

“I really hope so,” She seemed almost anxious, “I didn’t expect to be stuck here this long.”

“So you’re planning on abandoning us then?” Envy asked, his tone almost resentful. Elsie blinked in surprise.

“Well… I guess. I really do need to get home,” She pointed out uneasily.

“And we don’t?” Envy demanded. His voice was even but the intensity of his gaze spoke volumes about his frustration.

“We all want to get home. It just takes time,” Diana said, shooting him a bemused look. Over the past week Envy and Wrath had ended up including themselves into Elsie’s circle of acquaintances. Not that it’d done them much good. He was sure she had something useful to tell them... He just needed some way to get her to give the information up. A small voice in the back of his mind pointed out he was only clinging to this so desperately because he had no idea where to turn to next. He pointedly ignored it.

“I don’t really mind it here,” Damian said. Elsie raised her eyebrows at him.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” Damian shook his head, “Home isn’t any better than here. I’d be just as miserable regardless of where I am. At least here my parents aren’t here worrying about me,” his voice was dull and flat.

“No, they’re just at home worrying about you,” Sharon retorted.

“At least you’re safe from yourself here,” Diana said pointed out gently. Damian’s mouth pulled into a half-hearted smirk.

“Yeah, you’d know all about that now wouldn’t you?” he muttered. Diana’s jaw tightened and she leaned back in her chair, pulling at the long sleeves of her shirt insecurely.

“Damian,” Elsie snapped, feeling defensive for the girl, “Don’t be a jerk. I get how you feel—“

“How could you possible get how I feel?” He demanded sharply.

“What, you think you’re the only person in the world who’s ever been depressed?” Elsie glared. Damian rolled his eyes, unwilling to respond.

“Sheesh, what did you guys eat for breakfast this morning? You’re two aren’t usually the testy ones around here,” Sharon commented dryly.

At that moment the nurse Marian walked up to the table holding a pile of paper and a bucket of drawing pens and markers.

“Alright you guys. You might as well draw for a bit. It’ll give you something to do aside from get into arguments,” She shot a pointed glance at Elsie who blushed. Marian passed out the pages and set the bucket in the center of the table before leaving. Envy glanced skeptically at his own sheet. He really didn’t understand the point of the activities the nurses here gave them. They were utterly useless, except to fill up their time with meaningless tasks.

“I don’t feel like drawing,” Damian got to his feet and left the table. Sharon cast a glance after him.

“What a ray of sunshine,” she remarked.

“As if you’re any better,” Diana retorted, grabbing a marker and fixing her eyes on her sheet of paper. Sharon stuck out her tongue at the coppertop before grabbing a pencil and starting on her own. Envy’s eyes flicked to Elsie.

“Who are you drawing this time?” He asked her. Elsie’s pencil hovered above the paper, not having touched it yet.

“I’m not sure…” Elsie frowned at the page, as if willing it to give her an idea. Envy hummed thoughtfully.

“Why don’t you draw me?” He suggested. Elsie raised an eyebrow at him.  
“Seriously?” she asked. Envy frowned slightly.  
“Well you’ve drawn enough of the brat lately,” he replied, referring to Wrath. Elsie smirked.

“You sound jealous,” She teased. And then her expression went blank as her brain caught up with her words. Envy tensed up at the use of the word, anger beginning to simmer just below the surface of his calm façade. “Sorry,” She said, staring down at her paper, “I didn’t mean it like that,”

“It’s fine,” Envy forced the words out, miraculously managing to keep his voice even. She had just started relaxing enough to converse with him normally within the last two days. He didn’t want to risk damaging that progress. Elsie’s gaze at the page turned thoughtful.

“Well, since you’ve mentioned it…maybe I’ll draw you after all. Your hair is fun,” an amused smirk appeared on her face. Envy stared at her with a slightly bewildered expression. His hair was…fun? He wasn’t even sure how to respond to that...

“Uh… sure,” He glanced back down at his paper. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try joining in on the activity for once. He picked up a pencil and stared at the paper thoughtfully. Well, if she was drawing him, he might as well take a stab at drawing her.

A little while later Sharon leaned over to stare at Envy’s drawing.

“Holy. You’re really good,” she sounded a little awed. Diana and Elsie looked up from their own pages. Sharon abruptly grabbed Envy’s page and held it up so they could see. Envy’s irritation at her snatching without permission was mollified by the surprised gasps from the other girls.

“I’m a little rusty,” He muttered, “I haven’t drawn in… a while.”

“She looks like she’s out of that anime she likes,” Diana pointed out sounding amused.

“You never told me you drew,” Elsie sounded a mixture of awed and put out that he’d never mentioned it. Envy smirked, snatching his drawing back from Sharon.

“I haven’t told you a lot of things,” he said, glancing over at her drawing. She swiftly covered it.

“It isn’t finished yet,” she told him curtly. He rolled his eyes, gaze returning to his own drawing.

Before he could start working on it again the sound of brisk footsteps approaching them caught his attention. He looked up and saw the red haired nurse was back, a grim look on her face.

“Elsie,” She called the girl. Elsie turned towards her, surprised.

“There’s someone here to speak with you,” She informed the girl. In a lower voice she continued “It’s about your mother,” her eyes were filled with sympathy. Envy watched as the pencil fell from the girl’s fingers and all the color drained from her face. He frowned. Obviously this wasn’t good news. Elsie stood up abruptly and followed Marian without a word. The three of them stared after her for a moment.

“What was that about?” Envy asked, raising an eyebrow. Diana’s face was pinched with worry.

“Sounds like something happened to her mom,” Sharon sounded unconcerned, “Guess she might not get to go home as soon as she’d hoped.” Diana got to her feet.

“I’m going back to my room,” She said, leaving without any other explanation. Envy stared thoughtfully at the hall Elsie and the nurse had disappeared down. The only things down there were doctor-patient counselling rooms.

“What happened?” Wrath had wandered over from where he’d been spending time with the younger kids.

“We don’t know yet,” Envy replied. Then a thought occurred to him, “Curtis, I need you to do me a favour.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Wrath made his way down the hall quietly. He didn’t think he was breaking any rules exactly, but he doubted the nurses would approve of eves dropping. Only one of the rooms had a light on, but as usual the window was covered by a blind. The rooms were somewhat sound proof, but even so he was readily able to hear the horrified cry that came a moment later.

“ _What?!_ ” Elsie’s voice sounded distraught, “No! That can’t be… She couldn’t…” her words grew quieter and became intelligible. He faintly heard the sound of sobbing. Wrath drew closer to the door and pressed his ear to it. There was silence aside from the sound of crying. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering what could have possibly happened to upset her so much. After several moments the crying subsided, followed by more silence. Then finally she spoke again.

“It’s my fault…” her voice sounded broken.

“Nonsense Elsie! Of course it isn’t,” Marian chided.

“If I hadn’t gotten myself stuck here—“

“You can’t blame yourself for this. She wouldn’t want that.”

“ _Dammit!_ ” she dissolved into more quiet sobs. Then another voice Wrath didn’t recognize spoke up, this one male.

“I know this is a horrible shock to take in. But we need to get in touch with your next of kin.”

“This can’t be happening,” Elsie muttered to herself through tears.

“We’re attempting to get in touch with your father. I believe he’s in another country at the moment so that may take some time,” The male voice spoke again.

“You’re _what?!_ ” Elsie shrieked.

“Well, he is your father. You can’t live alone until you’re 18. And I’m sure you’re eager to get out of here,” he replied.

“I’d rather live here for the rest of my life that live with that bastard!” Elsie hissed.

“Elsie!” Marian’s tone was disapproving.

“He doesn’t care about me! He left us! If he couldn’t stand living with mom,” Her voice broke on the word, “Then why the hell would he want to live with his freak of a daughter?!” Elsie’s voice rose till she was practically shouting.

“Elsie, I know this is hard to accept—”

“ _Hard to accept?!_ ”

“Elsie!” The male voice was commanding, “Calm down.”

“No!” There was the sound of a chair scraping harshly across the floor. Wrath stepped out of the way of the door a second before it burst open. Elsie darted out past him, not even noticing him as she raced down the hall to her room. He heard the door slam a moment later. He continued staring after her, slightly stunned. A touch on his shoulder brought his attention to the red haired nurse now standing next to him.

“How much did you hear?” She sounded more sad than critical.

“Just a bit... What happened?” He asked solemnly.

“Elsie’s mother was found dead yesterday,” She said. Wrath’s eyes widened. The words felt like lead weight landing on his chest. Images of Sloth rose up in his mind unbidden. It’s my fault… That was a feeling he was all too familiar with. “You should give her some space for a while. She’s pretty broken up right now,” Marian advised. Wrath nodded numbly, turning and heading back to the table where Envy was waiting.

“What the hell happened?” Sharon demanded upon his return. Envy stared at him expectantly, eyebrows raised.

“Her mom is dead,” He stated bluntly. Sharon gasped, looking stunned. Envy blinked, his expression unreadable. At that moment the door to Elsie’s room opened and Diana stepped out, slowly walking towards the table. She seemed a little shaken up, jaw tight, eyes shining slightly. She sank into one of the chairs and rested her face in her hands.

“Poor Elsie,” She murmured.

“What happened? Is she ok?” Sharon asked.

“Of course she isn’t ok,” Diana snapped, shooting an irritated look at the other girl. Her gaze fell to the table and she shook her head. “She’s been worried about getting back to her mom ever since she got here. I guess she was depressed or something. But it sounds like she committed suicide a couple days ago. They found her body yesterday…” she trailed off, looking slightly ill.

“…Well shit,” Sharon seemed to be at a loss for words. A silence fell over the table for several moments. Finally Envy stood abruptly.

“I’m going back to my room,” He said, strolling away without further explanation. Wrath stared after him for a moment before following. The older boy likely wanted to discuss something away from the humans. The younger boy hesitated outside their door, the faint sound of crying being audible from Elsie’s room. A part of him felt the urge to help her somehow. He’d grown to like her over the past week. But he knew from bitter experience that there was nothing that could numb that sort of raw pain. She would just have to tough it out. He slipped into his own room and shut the door behind him.

Envy leaned back against the wall, waiting for the younger boy to take a seat on the bed. The gears were turning in the back of his mind as he tried to figure out how he could use the current situation to his advantage. Humans were fragile. Losing a loved one made them unstable. Assuming she wasn’t completely shattered by it he suspected he’d be able get the information he needed out of her now. 

“Alright, spill.” He commanded. Wrath sighed, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged.

“Diana explained it already. Her mom died,” He said. Envy frowned.

“That’s it?” His tone was slightly disappointed. Wrath’s eyes flashed with anger.

“What do you mean ‘that’s it’? She lost her mom. You make it sound like it doesn’t even matter,” he snapped.

“Woah, take it easy mama’s boy,” Envy held up his hands defensively, “How could I forget your obsession with mothers? What I meant was did you overhear anything else that might be useful?” Wrath glared at him a moment before sighing.

“Well… apparently she has to go live with her father now. She seemed pretty upset about that. That’s why she locked herself in her room,” He explained reluctantly. Envy smirked, strolling to the window to stare out, arms crossed.

“So she doesn’t like her dad huh?” He chuckled slightly.

“What are you planning?” Wrath asked warily.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for. We shouldn’t have too much trouble getting information out of her if she’s too torn up to care. Even better, we might be able to talk her into helping us escape,” Envy stated simply. Wrath frowned.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, if what you say is true and she doesn’t want to live with her father, then she has a reason to want to get away from here. She’s a native to this dimension and I assume she’s familiar with the world outside this hospital. We can use her as a guide,” Envy explained, turning to face Wrath with a satisfied expression.  
“You don’t even care that you’re manipulating her while she’s grieving?” Wrath asked flatly. Envy gave him an incredulous look.

“That’s the whole point dimwit. Besides, I enjoy messing with humans. How could you forget?” Envy said, a twisted smirk playing across his lips. Wrath gave him a hard stare. Finally he shook his head.

“Never mind. I just thought…”

“That I’d changed because of this pathetic body?” Envy asked mockingly.

“You have changed,” Wrath shot back defensively, “Even if you don’t admit it, you don’t act the same as you did in our world.”

“Hate to break it to you, but neither do you brat. Still, some things never change,” Envy retorted.

“So you still hate humans then?” Wrath questioned. Envy turned to stare out the window again, expression guarded.

“They’re a weak, pathetic species and they’re ruled by their emotions,” he muttered. Wrath raised an eyebrow.

“Dodging the question…”

“Shut up,” Envy snapped, flashing an irritated look at the boy. Wrath smirked, but wisely changed the subject.

“So how exactly are we going to escape?” he asked. Envy frowned.

“I haven’t figured that bit out yet…” He admitted reluctantly, “But I’m sure I’ll come up with something!” Wrath gave him a skeptical look.

“Right. Well, while you’re busy with that I’m going to go draw,” He got to his feet and strolled out of the room without giving Envy a chance to respond.

Envy snorted derisively. The boy was getting more human every day. Unfortunately he could feel himself slipping in that direction as well, though not as much. His hope was that he’d be returned to normal once he found a way back to his world. The idea of actually enjoying spending time with humans without manipulating or harassing them was something he refused to even consider. Although he grudgingly admitted, despite being painfully boring, the last week with the other patients hadn’t been unbearable… He shook his head. What was he thinking? He needed to focus on coming up with an escape plan! Muttering under his breath he turned and began pacing the room. He’d gone over it several hundred times already in the past week and hadn’t come up with anything likely. Perhaps Elsie would have something to suggest.


	7. Proposition

She stared down at her tray of breakfast with reddened eyes, barely registering what was there. She was sitting at a table by herself. The other patients apparently didn’t want to approach her, which was just as well. She hadn’t bothered to check her reflection but she knew she was a complete mess. She could feel the tears dried onto her cheeks and the rat nest of hair falling over her shoulders. She just didn’t give a damn; about anything. She’d been depressed a number of times before. So the crushing, agonizing weight in her chest was familiar. The utter exhaustion and emptiness, as everything in life lost any of the joy or meaning it had once held, wasn’t a new experience. But this was the first time in her life she had an actual reason for it, instead of just her disorder screwing her over... And it made it worse than she could have ever imagined.

“You look like shit,” Elsie lifted her eyes wearily to see the green haired teen smirking at her as he took a seat across the table. William. Envy. Either way she didn’t care anymore. Her eyes returned to her plate. If she ignored him he’d probably go away. Several moments passed before he spoke again.

“Are you going to eat anything, or just stare at it?” He demanded.

“I’m not hungry,” She muttered.

“You’ve seriously gone to pieces over this?” He asked, sounding a little incredulous. Her gaze snapped up to his as her slowly moving brain processed those words. When it finally clicked, the shock of pain and anger felt like a slap. She glared blackly at him, refusing to dignify him with an answer. How could he say that? Her mother was dead. Her life was over. She had the right to go to pieces! He chuckled slightly.

“That’s a pretty scary look for you. Did I hit a nerve?” His smirk was infuriating.

“Go. Away.” She spat, eyes returning to her plate. She robotically reached for the usual fruit cup.

“I don’t think so. If I leave you alone you’ll just wallow in self-pity. Why don’t you do something useful and tell me how that anime ends, hmm?” He suggested. She stood abruptly, almost flipping her chair.

“Fuck you,” She hissed, feeling tears welling up again. She whirled and strode briskly back to her room, shutting the door firmly behind her before bursting into tears. “Dammit,” she whispered, “I hate crying,” She made her way over to her desk and crawled beneath it, drawing her knees up to bury her face in.

The sobbing didn’t last long. She’d cried too much throughout the night to have much energy left for it. But no amount of crying took the edge off the horrible grief ripping through her heart. What was the last thing she’d said to her mother? She couldn’t remember. Her mom’s depression had been bad enough at the time Elsie was hospitalized that it had been difficult to hold a conversation with her. The older woman had run out of antidepressants and refused to go to the doctor for another prescription. Elsie knew she’d been going through hell but…how could her mother abandon her like this?! How could she leave her all alone? She’d thought her dad leaving her had been hard, but it was nothing compared to this.

Several more sobs found their way out. She wanted to join her mother. There was no way she would live with her father.

“No, I can’t live with that bastard,” She muttered, forehead still resting on her knees.

“Why not?” The voice was unexpected and caused her to snap her head up.

“What are you doing in my room?” She demanded, wiping the tears off her face with an arm. William smiled crookedly, making his way over to sit on her bed.

“The nurses think I’m in my room, and I doubt they’ll be coming in to check on you for a while. So why don’t we have a little chat? You should come out from under there,” He suggested.

“I don’t feel like talking,” She muttered, glaring half-heartedly at him. He snorted.

“Do I look like I care?” He raised an eyebrow. She let out at irritated sigh.

“William—”

“It’s Envy,” He cut her off curtly. She gave him a wilted look and decided to give up on what she’d been about to say. Why reason with a crazy person?

“So why do you hate your dad so much?” He asked abruptly. She blinked in surprise, mind turning back towards memories she usually tried to ignore.

“Because he’s a cold hearted bastard,” She said, glaring at the floor. William, or rather Envy, hummed.

“Did he do something in particular to earn the title?” he asked. Elsie sighed.

“He walked out on mom because he couldn’t stand living with her depression anymore. He abandoned us because we were too ‘screwed up’ for him,” She seethed quietly, “And I’ll be damned if I have to go live with him. He wouldn’t want me anyway. I’m even screwier than mom was,” she sounded bitterly resigned. Envy frowned thoughtfully.

“I take it you know what happened with my…father…” He said the word distastefully. She nodded wearily.

“Yeah but see, you got to kill your father. No such luck for me,” She smirked sadly. Envy’s eyes flashed.

“I what?” He demanded in a low growl. Elsie stared at him a moment before comprehending.

“Well, you kill him in the end. But you die too so… it’s probably better for you that that isn’t the way things turned out,” She explained dully. He stared at her intently. He seemed to be going back over old memories, but there was a dangerous light in his eyes that made her shiver.

“So you’re saying I die in the story you know?” He asked finally.

“Well…you both die together.”

“I thought you said I killed him?!”

“Well it’s complicated!” She snapped. He regarded her with an unreadable expression. After a moment something seemed to occur to him.

“Why don’t you show it to me?”

“Huh?” She asked, not following his new train of thought.  
“The anime,” He said impatiently, “Show it to me! Then you won’t have to bother explaining anything.” Elsie gave him an odd look. Assuming that he actually was the character somehow, what would it do to him to watch his own life…? Then again, he couldn’t be the character so it didn’t matter.

“I can’t show it to you. Not when we’re stuck in here. I need a computer,” She explained. Envy’s eyes narrowed.

“Then let’s get out of here,” He suggested. Elsie’s eyes widened slightly.

“What?”

“Let’s escape from here,” He repeated patiently. Elsie stared at him, not even sure how to respond. Escape? With him?

“That’s…insane…”She replied uncertainly.

“Think about it. We both gain from escaping. You get away from having to live with your dad, and I get the answers I need,” He explained. Elsie continued to stare at him, her mind slowly going in circles with the idea. He smirked. “I’ll let you think on it for a bit. Let me know when you decide,” He rose from his seat on her bed and stretched lazily, before strolling over to the door and slipping out quietly.

For several moments she simply stared at the door feeling stunned. Then finally she sighed, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against her knees. Now that she was alone again she felt the avalanche of pain and despair come crashing down on her once more. It usually lessened when she was forced to interact with other people. But it would always come back, as long as she was depressed. She curled up tighter into a ball. She felt so completely alone. She’d given up on keeping up close friendships over the last few years. It was too difficult to find kids understanding enough to put up with her ups and downs. The closest friend she’d had had been her mother. She wasn’t very close with the rest of her family... What was she supposed to do? Right now she wanted nothing more than to die… But since that wasn’t an option she had to come up with something else.

Escaping with Envy, or William, or whatever… It was insane; absolutely ridiculous. She didn’t even know him, and he was a total nut case, and they’d both be without their meds. Missing meds was a bad idea. Aside from that, where would they go if they did escape? Her house was probably the first place they’d search for them. And eventually they’d have to be caught, they couldn’t run forever… She rubbed her eyes tiredly. On top of that, he’d been violent with her in the past. Her throat was still a little sore from her first encounter with him. If she went with him away from the protection of the nurses and hospital staff, there was no telling what would happen. She could wind up dead, or worse.

All these thoughts swirled aimlessly through her mind. The truth was she didn’t care what happened anymore. Nothing really mattered. The only thing she knew for sure was she couldn’t stand living with her father. She’d wind up following in her mother’s footsteps. And right now there was only one way she could think of to avoid that scenario. A small voice in the back of her mind pointed out that she’d never even consider it if she was in her right mind. But she wasn’t in her right mind. She was exhausted and in pain, and sick of being stuck here. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, raising her head with a resigned expression. She’d made her decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Envy and Wrath were both in their room shortly after breakfast.

“So how long are you going to wait before you talk to her about it again?” Wrath asked. He was lying across his bed on his stomach, knees bent, feet in the air, chin resting on his folded arms. Envy scowled slightly from his usual spot at the window.

“I was hoping she’d come to us. But Ill approach her again later today if I have too,” He replied. He’d expected an answer sometime yesterday. But then again, she was a human girl, and she wasn’t exactly at the top of her game at the moment. He probably shouldn’t be surprised. But dammit he was tired of this place!

The sound of the door opening and closing quietly caught his attention. Wrath made a soft exclamation.

“I figured since you two keep invading my room it was about time I returned the favor,” Elsie stood just inside the door, arms crossed and her expression flat. Envy blinked at her in surprise. She was actually dressed in everyday clothes for a change. Running shoes, faded jeans, and a grey V-necked t-shirt that hugged her body, proving she did in fact have curves underneath the lose hoody and PJ pants she typically wore. Her face looked freshly washed and she’d even brushed her hair. He had to admit, it was quite an improvement over the previous day. He wasn’t a fan of her eyes though. They looked dull and lifeless, much like her voice had sounded.

“So, have you finally made up your mind?” He demanded.

“I’m here. Isn’t that answer enough?” She replied. He smirked victoriously.

“Good,” He turned back to the window, “Now we just need a way of getting away.”

“Already taken care of,” She stated simply. He swung around again to look at her in disbelief.

“You’re serious? How?” he demanded.

“I just finished talking with one of the nurses. They’re finally taking us on a walk today since the weather is nice,” She explained.

“And?” he pressed. She sighed.

“A walk is our best bet for escape. There are usually three or four staff members with the group and there will be about ten other kids coming. They aren’t expecting anyone to bolt off since they tend to leave the really unstable patients behind at the ward. It mainly comes down to how fast you can run,” Elsie explained dully. A slow smile began to grow on Envy’s face. If she was right, then this was perfect. He couldn’t have asked for an easier escape route.

“Of course, we need a plan for what we’re going to do once we get away,” She pointed out, “And you can’t go waltzing around the city in hospital clothes.”

“Not a problem. They gave us each a set of ordinary clothes to wear when we got here. We just haven’t bothered wearing them yet,” Envy explained, glancing at the small closet next to his desk.

“Each? Does that mean you’re coming too?” Elsie asked, turning her gaze on Wrath.

“Of course!” Wrath said, “You can’t leave me behind.”

“Unfortunately,” Envy snorted.

“Hey!” Wrath shot him a glare.

“Anyway, you were right when you said we needed a plan. However, that’s precisely why we need you. We don’t have any knowledge of the world outside this hospital,” Envy pointed out.

“Well, where are you trying to get to?” Elsie asked.

“How should I know?” Envy frowned at her, “I want to see that anime.”

“Right… The anime… well, I suppose we can go straight to my place. Thankfully it’s not super far from here. We can’t stay there long though,” she chewed her lip thoughtfully, “I’ll just transfer the shows onto my ipod and grab a charger for it,” Envy stared at her with a blank expression, her words flying over his head, “But after that I have no idea where we’ll go. There aren’t exactly a lot of places around for a few teenage fugitives to take up residence. None that I’m aware of anyway…” She trailed off staring at Envy expectantly, as if he had some answer to the problem. He scowled. How was he supposed to know? This was her world, not his.

“Whatever. We’ll deal with that when we get there,” He said crisply. He’d have a better idea of what to do once he’d spent a little more time in the world and watched how she interacted with everything. “When do we leave?” He demanded.

“After lunch I think,” Elsie replied tiredly, casting a glance around the room. Then she abruptly strolled right past Envy to the wall on the opposite side of the room. He turned to stare at her.

“What are you doing?” he asked. She leaned back against the wall and then slid down so she was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest.

“Sitting down,” She stated flatly. He gave her a slightly bewildered look.

“Why there?”

“I’m tired of sitting in my room,” She replied, as if it was a perfectly reasonable explanation for her to camp out in their room. He stared at her a moment longer. He wasn’t really following her reasoning. If she was tired of being alone in her room, why not just go sit out in the living area? He shook his head. 

“Whatever. I’m leaving,” He turned and strolled to the door. Her gloomy aura was getting on his nerves. He glanced over his shoulder. “If Marian catches you in here there’ll be hell to pay,” He commented. Although realistically, they probably wouldn’t be too hard on her if she was grieving. Upon receiving no answer he pushed the door open and left.

As soon as he was gone Wrath slid off of the bed and padded quietly over to her. Her head had dropped down, resting on her knees. When he slid down to sit beside her she glanced up in surprise.

“Hey,” He said.

“...Hey,” She sounded a little uncertain. She met his eyes and tried to smile. It didn’t quite work. He fixed her with a serious stare.

“Why did you agree to come with us?” He asked. She stared at him for a moment.

“To get away from my dad I guess,” She replied with a hollow laugh.

“Aren’t you afraid?” He asked. She gave him a slightly bewildered look and hesitated.

“Why do you ask?” She countered finally. He shrugged.

“Just curious. I mean, it’s not like you know us well. And Envy’s kind of a jerk. I’m surprised you agreed to it,” he replied. She smiled humourlessly.

“There’s a million reasons why I shouldn’t. But I don’t really care anymore…” she replied, staring at the ground with a defeated expression. Wrath watched her for a moment.

“She meant a lot to you,” He stated gravely. She blinked at him, startled by the turn in conversation. Her eyes shone with held back tears and she looked away.

“Yeah,” her voice was hoarse.

“It doesn’t stop hurting does it?” He asked, his voice sounding strangely uncertain in his own ears. She turned to stare at him, obviously trying to comprehend where he was coming from.

“…you’re talking about your own mom?” She asked. He flinched slightly and looked away. She sighed, resting her head against the wall. “I really doubt it,” she answered him finally, “But I’m really not the person you should ask right now. I can barely see to the end of this day, let alone farther down the road,” her voice was flat. He looked at her curiously.

“Why?” he asked.

“Do you really have to ask?” She glanced at him in disbelief. He nodded. “I’m depressed. That’s the way things are when you’re like this,” she stated bluntly.

“Why?” he asked again. She stared at him for a moment before a ghost of amusement flitted briefly across her face.

“Sometimes I forget you’re still a kid,” She sounded tiredly bemused, “Because you’re in pain. Every trace of energy in your body is gone and you’ve lost the ability to feel any positive emotion what-so-ever. It’s hard seeing into the future when each moment is its own struggle.” Wrath frowned.

“But…how long does it last?” he asked. Elsie sighed.

“Weeks? Months? It’s impossible to know. Some poor people are depressed for years at a time. I have no idea how they bear it… In my case I know at the very least I’ll cycle into another manic phase at some point. Assuming I don’t get a period of stability before that. But…this is the first time I’m depressed for a legitimate reason,” She bit her lip, “So I have no idea. I can’t see it ever getting better at this point,” her voice was growing hoarse again and she rested her forehead against her knees once more. Wrath watched her, slightly considered by the way her nails were digging into her legs. She seemed to be struggling against tears.

“Should I go?” He asked uncertainly. There was a brief silence. He began to rise but stopped when she finally spoke.

“Umm...could you…maybe…stay?” her voice trailed off to a shaky whisper, “I don’t think I should be alone right now,” she sounded almost…scared. He felt a prick of surprise but nodded, sitting back down. After a moment he slid closer so their shoulders were touching. For some reason seeing her going to through the same pain he had recently gone through made her seem a lot more approachable. He could finally relate to someone.

“I’ll stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Depression...fun stuff...*heavy sarcasm*  
> Unfortunately there's a lot of people battling it. If you're one of those people and you're reading fanfiction to distract yourself, you have my utmost sympathy. I was starting into a depressive episode at the time that I wrote this. So I feel your pain. Don't let it win. It will pass. Even if it feels like its never going to. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. Someday you're going to feel ok again and you'll be really glad you didn't give up. Hang in there *hug*


	8. Escape

“Is this everyone that’s coming?” Sheila asked. Elsie, William and Curtis were clustered in the hall along with Elsie’s friends and some other patients.

“I don’t feel like going for a walk,” Damian muttered.

“It’s good for you,” Marian said, joining the group, “I think this is everyone Sheila. We’re just waiting on Travis.”

Elsie leaned against the wall, feeling impossibly tired. At least the pain in her chest had eased off to numbness. It was likely because she had something critical coming up that she needed to be focused for. Her gaze flicked to the two boys she’d agreed to escape with. They had both changed into t-shirts and jeans. She couldn’t help but notice William’s dark shirt was a little snug, showing off some of the muscle underneath. No wonder it had hurt when he’d strangled her... He was buff. She’d sort of figured he’d been bluffing when he’d said he could snap her neck... But maybe not… Why again had she agreed to escape with this guy? Oh right…her dad… She shook her head. She didn’t have the energy to waste on thoughts like that. If she didn’t currently feel so dead she suspected she’d be bursting with nerves over what they were about to do.

She must’ve had a pretty serious expression on her face because Curtis shot her a reassuring smile. His wild black hair had been tamed slightly and his royal blue shirt made his eyes seem even larger and bluer than normal. She smiled back half-heartedly. He’d been awfully sweet to stay with her earlier. She wouldn’t have blamed him for getting the hell away from her. But he’d actually seemed to understand. For a kid his age, that was impressive. Then again, the character he claimed to be had had his fair share of experience with loss and grief…

“Hey,” Damian leaned against the wall beside her, “I heard about what happened. I’m sorry about your mom,” he muttered sympathetically. His eyes were downcast and he looked terrible. She definitely understood how he felt.

“Thanks,” She replied sounding resigned. She didn’t want to think about her mother at the moment. She needed to focus on not falling apart until they were home-free. She’d told William that she’d signal them when it was time to make a break for it. She’d been on several walks before so she suspected she knew the area they’d be heading in. If they dashed off too close to the hospital they’d be rounded up right away. They needed to be somewhere that wasn’t quite so urbanely boxed in.

“So are you going to go live with your dad now?” Sharon asked casually. Diana elbowed her. “Oww! What was that for?” Sharon complained.

“Can’t you think before you speak, just once in your life?” Diana demanded.

“I was just asking a question! I don’t understand what the big deal is,” Sharon replied, sounding irritated. Elsie ignored them. She felt almost guilty for ditching them without saying goodbye. But they weren’t exactly friends... just forced acquaintances. Although, Diana had been the closest thing she’d had to a friend in a while... She’d likely miss her.

Finally Travis approached the group. He was a tall, skinny, nurse with short cropped brown hair and a beaky nose.

“Alright, lets head out,” He declared. Marian nodded, moving to take the lead. The patients fell in step behind her. Elsie chose a spot in the middle of the strung out group and William and Curtis drifted in near her. Travis and Sheila stayed at the back of the group as they headed off down the hall. They reached the main entrance to the ward and Marian swiped her security card in the slot. Travis moved up to hold the door while the patients filed on through. The next room was where the elevators were located. Elsie felt both William and Curtis tense up on either side of her. Curtis abruptly grabbed her hand. She glanced at him in surprise. He was staring at the shiny, gold doors with a look of apprehension.  
“You don’t like elevators?” She asked. He shook his head. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. In this case she had to agree. She knew from experience this was going to be a very squishy ride.

One of the kids pushed the button and a moment later the doors slid open with a ding. Everyone pushed forward into the confined space.  
“I know it’s a tight squeeze, but we all just have to pack in as best we can. It’s only a short trip down,” Marian said. Elsie followed the flow of patients into the elevator. People were shuffling around and trying not to invade each others personal bubbles but it was impossible. They ended up packed in like sardines.

“Well this isn’t what I imagined,” William muttered. Elsie was trying hard not to get crushed into his chest. She hadn’t meant to wind up face to face with him... Curtis was pressed into her side with her arm around his shoulders.

“It’s not a long trip down thankfully,” Elsie said, avoiding eye contact. With this proximity she felt decidedly uncomfortable.

“Unless the elevator gets stuck,” Jason commented dryly. The dark haired boy’s back was to Elsie’s. She could feel William tense up at these words and she glanced up to see a displeased expression on his face.

“It won’t get stuck,” She told him quietly, hoping to reassure him. The doors closed and the elevator jerked slightly as it began to descend. Several people shifted and Jason took a half step backwards knocking into Elsie. She lost her balance and fell against the green haired teen, grabbing at his shirt reflexively for support.

“Sorry!” She gasped, struggling to pull back a little unsteadily. She rather expected him to shove her off but to her surprise she felt his hands rest firmly on her shoulders, helping her to regain her balance. “Thank you,” She breathed, putting as much space as possible between them again.

“Don’t mention it,” His voice was a little stiff. 

The rest of the ride went smoothly. When the doors slid open at the bottom everyone piled off as quickly as possible. Marian led them around the corner, through a waiting room and out the door into a parking lot. Elsie drew in a deep breath. The fresh air and the feeling of the sun on her skin were nice, even in her numb state. It’d been over two weeks since she’d been outdoors. Curtis let go of her hand with a sheepish smile. She managed to drag up a weak smile in return.

Marian led them down the narrow sidewalk that went around the outside of the hospital. They followed it out onto the normal sidewalk that ran along the street. Elsie eyed the nurses, taking note of their relaxed attitudes. Sheila and Travis where chatting at the back of the group. Marian had struck up a conversation with Diana at the front of the group. They obviously weren’t too concerned. With the speed they were moving at it would be at least ten minutes before they reached the area where Elsie planned on bolting. There was a medium sized copse of trees just off the sidewalk there. It looked challenging to get through but Elsie had played there as a child and knew there were several animal paths running through it. Past that was a large field with a hill, used mainly for soccer and sledding in the winter. They’d cut across there and head for the residential neighborhood that bordered it. There was a maze of alley’s there which she hoped to lose any pursuers in, assuming they followed that far. Then they’d make for her house which was a couple blocks from there.

That was the plan anyway. She really hoped it would work. The nurse that would pose the biggest threat was Travis. She suspected he could run pretty fast... She glanced around at the other patients. The line was starting to grow a little strung out as the more eager kids pressed forward and some others hung back. Elsie maintained her place in the middle of the group. With any luck it would keep spreading out like this and she’d have some space between both sets of nurses and themselves by the time they needed to go.

They continued along the sidewalk, passing through the residential area that lay close around the hospital. Eventually they came to a bend in the road with ravine on one side and houses on the other. There was a low guard rail to keep vehicles from missing the turn and plunging down the steep, wooded slope. At that moment one of the younger patients tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and went sprawling. The girl let out a yelp and began to cry. Marian and Sheila descended on her in a flash, helping her to her feet and examining her scraped hands and knees. The other patients stood around, resigned expressions on some faces, relieved ones on others. They knew what this meant.  
“We’d better go back,” Marian said, straightening up.

Elsie froze. This was bad. They hadn’t reached the copse yet. She glanced around discretely before making her way to the outer edge of the group, closest to the ravine. William and Curtis were right behind her. She glanced over the edge and winced.  
“Shit,” She muttered under her breath. That was a longer drop than she felt comfortable with through roots and small shrubs. She glanced back to see the other patients forming up to head back the way they’d came. Dammit. They didn’t have any choice. “This is going to hurt,” She whispered apologetically to her companions. William met her gaze.

“Ready?” he asked, sounding a little impatient. She nodded. And then everything started happening faster than she’d expected. William slid an arm roughly around her waist, grabbing Curtis with the other, and leapt over the guardrail, plunging down into the ravine.

Elsie bit back a startled cry and scrabbled at the ground in an attempt to slow her forward momentum. She hadn’t expected him to _throw_ her into the ravine! What was that guy’s problem?! She’d been jerked from his grasp when they struck the slope. Shrubs tore at her skin and each root she struck formed a new bruise as she bumped, slid, and finally came into an out of control roll down the steep hill. She hit flat ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her, before hitting a tree that stopped her roll completely. She lay stunned for a moment, trying to get some air into her lungs. Her arms and face burned from scratches and her head throbbed. At least she hadn’t broken anything, or lost an eye, or smashed her head into the tree. Dammit what was William thinking? Maybe he thought he was a homunculus and thus invincible, but she didn’t share those delusions and she quite aware she wouldn’t be miraculously healing if she broke herself.

She painfully pushed herself upright, finally gasping in some air. Pine needles and dirt rained out of her hair. She glanced around for her companions and was relieved to see Curtis was already up on his feet a little ways down the animal path they’d landed on. He looked like he’d fared better than her thankfully, probably his size made him more agile. William was closer to her and was attempting to scramble to his feet. He looked a little dazed and dishevelled, twigs sticking out of his hair.

Shouts from the top of the ravine reminded her they needed to get moving. She used the tree next to her for support as she got to her feet. The world spun slightly and she felt a little queasy. She took a quick inventory of their surroundings. If she followed this path she was pretty sure it would lead up out of the ravine. In fact, it probably joined up with the field she’d been intending to cut across in the first place.

“Guys, this way,” She called to them, turning and jogging down the path. She heard them catch up, following close behind her. Every instinct screamed for her to run as fast as possible, but she forced herself to remain at a steady jog. At the moment she’d probably fall flat on her face if she tried sprinting; especially over this uneven ground.

They followed the curves of the path for some distance until it finally led up and out of the trees. Elsie made a sound of satisfaction. She’d been right about it joining up with the field. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one who’d suspected that. She heard a shout and turned to see Travis sprinting down the sidewalk a ways behind them. It was time to get a move on. She opened up her stride and bolted off through the field, able to go full speed over the more even ground. William caught up easily beside her and to her surprise Curtis was able to keep up as well. Both boys were obviously pretty fit. That was well and good but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to keep up this pace. Her legs were a little shaky to begin with from the tumble into the ravine and now they were already starting to burn in protest. Her breath was coming heavier as well.

They were just over halfway across the large field when she glanced back. A thrill of alarm shot through her. There wasn’t just Travis; there were a couple other guys she didn’t recognize. And they were all gaining on them. A burst of adrenalin sent her racing forward faster than before, eyes focused on the entrance to the alley that was across the road from the field. She noticed Curtis falling back slightly and grabbed his hand, trying to keep him going without making him go sprawling. Soon they reached the edge of the park and darted across the road into the alley. Their pursuers were three quarters of the way across the field and closing the distance rapidly.

“Dammit, this is bad,” Elsie gasped, struggling to maintain speed down the alley. They reached a T junction and darted to the right around the corner. William suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt along with Curtis.

“In here,” He indicated the 6ft tall board fence around one of the yards on either side of the alley.

“But how—” she was cut off as he grabbed her and easily swung her up and over the top of the fence. She squeaked, tumbling onto the grass on the other side. She sat up with a soft growl of irritation. He really needed to stop doing stuff like that. What if there’d been tools or lawn ornaments where she'd landed? Curtis landed next to her a moment later before William somehow managed to swing himself over the top of the fence. He dropped down beside them and the three of them lay still in the grass, hardly breathing as they heard the sound of several men racing up to the T junction.

“Where did they go?” One of them demanded.

“Let’s split up. You go that way, we’ll go this way,” Travis suggested.

“Got it,” the group split up, two of them heading to the right. They raced past the fence without even hesitating and continued down the alley. Elsie let out a quiet breath, listening to their footsteps fading into the distance. A moment later William got to his feet.

“Let’s go out this way,” He suggested, indicating a gate leading to the front yard.

“Sure,” Elsie said, scrambling up after him and offering Curtis a hand up. They followed the older teen out the gate and across the lawn to the sidewalk again.

“Where to now?” William demanded, fixing his gaze on Elsie. She glanced around quickly.

“My house is a couple blocks that way,” she gestured down the sidewalk, “We probably shouldn’t run the whole way or we’ll attract attention…”

“I doubt either of you could run much more anyway,” he sounded resigned. Elsie felt a prick of relief at his agreement.

“Let’s go,” She said, heading off down the sidewalk at a brisk walk.

Fifteen minutes later they had finally arrived at her neighborhood. She spotted the old, two-story house she called home and her heart froze up in her chest. The last time she’d seen it was a couple weeks ago. Her mother had been standing on the front step watching her drive off with their neighbor, bound for the hospital. Elsie had been pretty out of it at the time, but she never imagined that would be the last time she saw her mom…

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Curtis asked. He was standing beside her with a worried expression. She shook her head to clear it. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped.

“Uh…nothing. My house is just over here,” She said, pressing forward towards it. She had to ignore the swirl of painful emotions for now. She didn’t have time for it.

She led them up the path in the front yard. Instead of climbing the steps to the porch, she diverted and climbed into the old, weed filled garden that surrounded the house.

“What are you doing?” William asked. Elsie bent over and grasped one of the large stones, rolling it over and snatching the key that lay underneath. She straightened and held it up to him as an answer. He made a sound of understanding. She climbed out of the garden and bounded up the steps to the door. They didn’t have a lot of time. The sooner they got out of there the better. She fit the key into the door and fiddled with it a bit until the lock finally turned. She pulled the door open and stepped inside.

The smell of home washed over her and she felt like she’d been kneed in the gut. She’d missed this place so much; the old staircase leading up to the bedrooms; the hall leading into the kitchen and living room; the comforting feel of the old, familiar building with the worn rugs and faded wallpaper, and pictures hanging haphazardly throughout the rooms. She felt like she could call out to her mother that she was home and she’d find her in the kitchen at the table, with a cup of tea and a book… But she knew she wouldn’t; ever again. The utter stillness of the house confirmed it. She felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

“Hey, are you alright?” she was numbly surprised to see it was William enquiring after her wellbeing. From his expression she couldn’t tell if he was irritated or concerned. Then she noticed the wetness on her cheeks. She hastily wiped the tears away.

“I’m fine,” She replied, her voice coming out a little hoarse.

“Right,” He sounded skeptical, “So what now?” She hesitated. What now? She hadn’t really expected to make it this far... And now that she was here she just felt like curling up and dying. She hadn’t taken into account how much seeing her house again would shake her up. But she had to do something. William and Curtis wouldn’t wait forever.

“Upstairs,” She said finally, making for the staircase. They followed her up the stairs and down the hall. She reached her door and stopped again. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea... William reached around her and opened the door, slipping into her room and looking around. She wilted slightly and followed him in.

Everything was just as she’d left it. The double bed against one wall was made up with a swirly green comforter. The walls were green as well. The bedframe, baseboards and computer desk were all dark brown. A window overlooked the front yard and a closet was sat against one wall. It was in an unusually clean state at the moment. She swallowed and forced herself to walk over to the computer desk and flip open her laptop, turning it on.

“What is that?” Curtis walked over to peer at it curiously. William was staring at it too, looking a little mystified by the different lights and icons appearing on the screen during the start up.

“It’s a laptop. A portable computer,” She explained. They both looked at her with uncomprehending expressions. She sighed. “Its technology they don’t have in FMA. Let’s leave it at that.”

“What’s FMA?” Curtis asked.

“Uh…” How was she going to explain this? She really couldn’t see them reacting well to watching the shows… Abruptly she rounded on William, “Alright listen up,” he looked a little taken aback by her sudden severity, “If I show you this anime you had better not blow up on me!”

“Why would I blow up on you?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Because,” She replied, “As much as you hate him, Edward Elric is the main character of this story. You’re just one of the villains,” She told him. He is expression morphed into a glare. “Don’t take it out on me,” She muttered, “I’m not the author of the story,” She turned back to her laptop and pulled up iTunes. Slipping her iPod out of her pocket she plugged it into the computer and carelessly checked off the episodes she needed. She only owned the second season…but since it was the ending they were curious about she figured it didn’t matter much.

Turning away from it again while it began to sync, she stared at the two boys. Where to begin?

“FMA stands for Fullmetal Alchemist. That’s the name of the anime, as I’ve mentioned before, since Ed is the main character. The entire story revolves around him and his brother trying to get their bodies back. I really don’t think watching it will help you, and I can guarantee it will frustrate and upset you. But since you have your hearts set on it… I have two conditions,” She held up two fingers.

“What are they?” William demanded crisply.

“Firstly, I don’t care how pissed off you get, don’t take it out on me. Secondly… same deal except no taking it out on the Ipod. You break it and you lose your chance to watch it. Understood?”

“What’s with the attitude?” William sounded slightly annoyed. Elsie took a deep breath in, closing her eyes a moment. She was hanging on to her control by her fingertips. She needed to get this over with before she fell apart completely.

“I’ll start the first episode for you to watch on the laptop. I need to go grab some stuff,” She replied, ignoring his question and turning back to the laptop. She pulled the episode up quickly and started it, before briskly leaving the room.

She headed to the washroom down the hall and checked her reflection. She needed to change her appearance, but she wasn’t about to hack off her hair. Instead she grabbed a brush and forced it through the mess of twigs and leaves until it looked a little more normal, before sweeping it up into a bun. Next she grabbed some eyeliner and got to work. She wasn’t a person that usually wore heavy makeup. But she was making an exception in this case.

By the time she was finished she barely recognized herself. Her eyes were darkened with strokes of thick eyeliner and mascara. She’d even added lipstick and a touch of bronzer. That would have to do for now. It was going to be a mess when she started crying, and she was definitely going to burst into tears in the not too distant future. But there wasn’t much she could do about that. Next she needed to change shirts. The boys should probably change as well. She hated to admit it but there were still some clothes leftover from her dad in his room. One of his shirts would likely fit William and she was pretty sure she could find a plain t-shirt of her own to fit Curtis.

She headed back to her room. Both boys were completely fixated on the laptop. William practically snarled at her when she snapped it shut to get their attention.

“Relax, you can finish it in the car. You guys need to change,” She told him, lacking the energy to be phased by his hostile expression. His eyes grew confused.

“Car? You can drive?” he asked.

“Of course I can drive. I’m seventeen! Now, the room on the left at the end of the hall was my dad’s. There’re still some clothes in his closet. Just grab a new shirt. Actually, hold on, I’ll grab Curtis a shirt and he can go with you. You both need to change your hair in the washroom too,” She ordered, heading to the closet and digging through it for something suitable.

“But why?” Curtis asked, “And why did you change your hair and your face?”

“To throw off our pursuers,” William caught on immediately, “Not a bad idea. Although it won’t work if we get up close and personal with them.”

“I don’t plan to. We’ll take the car and get out of the city. The tank should be full so we won’t have trouble getting to the next town. I’ve got enough money to take care of meals for a little while. We’ll have to figure out a more detailed plan later,” She said, pulling out a plain white T-shirt and handing it to the younger boy. “Now shoo. I need to change,” She told them. Mercifully they obeyed her. She shut the door behind them and drew in a deep, shuddering breath. She couldn’t allow herself time to think. She had to keep moving.

She stripped off her grey shirt and pulled on a pale green tank top and a light grey sweater. She grabbed her backpack from the corner and threw in some extra clothes and her wallet. She must’ve been the last person to drive the car since the keys were still on her desk. She pocketed them quickly and glanced around. She didn’t know what else to take. The iPod had finished its sync, so she grabbed it along with the charger and threw them in the pack as well. There was an adapter for it in the car, so that would take care of keeping it charged. Part of her wanted to take the laptop but it was heavy and the odds of it getting broken were high. She might as well just leave. The longer she stayed here the more she was doubting her decision to do this…

She shouldered her pack and left the room, closing the door behind her. An odd feeling crept over her. She couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see this place again… she shook the feeling off and continued down the hall. She found both boys changed and in the washroom. William had found a brown, button up shirt to pull on, although he’d left the top three buttons undone and two of the bottom ones.

“Got something against wearing clothing correctly?” She asked half-heartedly. He snorted, keeping his eyes on what he was doing. He’d found some hair elastics in the cupboard apparently and was finishing off braiding Curtis’s hair. His own hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. He finished with the elastic and straightened up.  
“Looks good,” Elsie nodded her approval, “Let’s get going,” William nodded and the three of them made their way back into the hall and down the stairs. Elsie led them through the house to the back door into the garage.

She’d always liked the musty smell of the garage. But at the moment it only brought back childhood memories. Not something she could dwell on right now. She unlocked the small SUV parked in the middle of dimly lit space. It chirped at her, headlights blinking, and both the boys on either side of her flinched.

“Relax, that’s normal,” She told them tiredly, opening the door and setting her pack in the back seat. “If you want to watch the show then the two of you should sit in the back,” she said, walking around to get in the driver’s door. After a moment both boys obeyed, clambering into the back seat. They seemed uneasy. She turned to stare at them, “Surely you’ve ridden in vehicles before?” she asked in mild exasperation.

“Not like the ones here,” William replied, glancing around the interior.

“Well put your seat belts on,” She told them.

“Huh?” both boys appeared confused.

“Like this,” She showed them how she buckled herself in. It didn’t take William long to figure his out, and he ended up helping Curtis as well. “Good,” Elsie started the car and pressed the garage door opener attached to the roof. She popped the vehicle into reverse and eased out of the garage before closing the door behind them. Backing out onto the road, she switched it to drive and headed for the fastest route she knew out of the city. They were almost home free now. Once they were on the highway she’d allow herself to relax. Aside from their tumble down the ravine this had gone far smoother than she’d been expecting. She just hoped their luck held.


	9. Taking Over

They’d been driving for about an hour, which was long enough to put some distance between them and the city. It had been a largely silent ride; save for Elsie’s murmured directions to herself as she’d made her way through the complicated network of streets. The trip had been rather fascinating. As a passenger Envy had been able to absorb the new sights and sounds that filled the strange world outside the hospital. In some ways it seemed much like Amestris. But the technology here had clearly progressed far beyond what his home dimension boasted. 

A sigh drew his attention to the girl in the front. Envy had a good view of her from his passenger side seat in the back. It was eerie how the makeup had added to her Lust-like appearance. It almost made him wonder if the lascivious homunculus had somehow reincarnated in this world… although given the girl’s personality he suspected that wasn’t the case. It was likely just an odd twist of serendipity; one which he was grateful for. They probably would never have approached her in the first place if she hadn’t looked so familiar. 

He was impressed that she’d held it together so far. He’d figured she would fall to pieces relatively quickly, given that she was an emotionally compromised human girl. But instead she’d remained in charge and managed to plan and make decisions under pressure. It had certainly made his life easier. But he knew it could only last for so long. She was starting to radiate strain and fatigue, clearly nearing the end of her rope. Ordinarily he wouldn’t care, but they still needed her to function as a guide until they found a way back to their own world. Unless they took a hostage they weren’t likely to find another one. A frown creased his brow. He needed her not to fall apart until they were a good distance from the city and they’d found a place to stop.

She changed lanes and took an exit ramp off the main highway. They were now headed east along a two lane road with much less traffic. She seemed to have a destination in mind. Envy eyed her white knuckled grip on the steering wheel skeptically.

“Hey,” he said, getting her attention, “Where are we going?”

“There’s a small town not too far from here. We can stop in there to get some supplies,” she replied, glancing at him distractedly in the rear view mirror, “We’ll have to sleep in the vehicle tonight. They’ll put out an amber alert for us soon enough and then our pictures will be all over the country on the news. So hotels are out of the question. Getting supplies will probably be a pain too,” she muttered. Envy nodded. If they were stopping soon then obviously she figured they’d put enough space between them and their pursuers; for now anyway. And that meant he might as well take over from here. The sooner the better.

“What’s an amber alert?” he asked.

“When kids go missing they put out an amber alert. They put their pictures and information in the news asking for anyone with information to come forward and help with finding them,” She explained tiredly. A scowl twisted his expression.

“Well that’s a nuisance,” he grumbled. Elsie nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. He watched her for a moment. Her aura was starting to bug him. It was clearly time to start pushing some buttons.

“What about the anime?” He questioned sharply. He saw her frown.

“What about it?”

“You said we could watch it in the car,” he pointed out. She visibly wilted.

“Can’t it wait until after we stop?” she sounded pained.

“Why? He demanded petulantly. Her expression hardened. He felt a prick of amusement. He was rather curious how far he could push her before she blew a fuse.

The SUV suddenly pulled off onto a dirt road and came to a stop. Silence rained in the vehicle for a moment. Then without a word she opened the door and got out, turning and walking away down the road. Envy stared after her with raised eyebrows. Well that hadn’t taken much.

“What’s she doing?” Wrath asked with a confused frown.

“Stay in the car. I’ll be back in a second,” He opened the door and stepped out, shutting it firmly behind him. He set off after her feeling slightly exasperated. They were out in the middle of nowhere. Where exactly did she plan on going? 

“Hey,” he called sharply. She came to a halt but didn’t bother to turn around or respond. He rolled his eyes. When he reached her side he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him.

“What are you doing?” his tone was irritated, “I thought you said we needed to get supplies?”

“Go without me,” she told him flatly. Her voice sounded dead and her eyes had grown apathetic. 

“Why on earth would we do that?” He demanded, frowning.

“You’ve gotten what you wanted,” she said, “You escaped from the ward and you’ve got your anime. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to work an I-pod. Just take the vehicle and go. You’ll be better off without me,” she stared listlessly at the ground. Envy made an exasperated sound and gave her a slight shove. She staggered, glancing at him in surprise.

“Hey dimwit, the whole reason we brought you along is because we need a guide,” he pointed out sharply. She glared at him.

“Well maybe I don’t want to be your guide,” she muttered. His expression hardened.

“I’m not giving you a choice in the matter,” he replied darkly. An incredulous look passed over her face.

“You can’t force me to help you,” she retorted. He raised an eyebrow.

“You want to make a bet on that?” he grabbed her arm and began dragging her back towards the vehicle. She gasped in alarm and dug her heels into the ground stubbornly, attempting to jerk out of his grip.

“I’m not going with you!” she hissed. He gave her an annoyed look. “It doesn’t matter if you drag me back and tie me up. You still can’t force me to help you,” she pointed out stubbornly. He tightened his grip on her arm until she winced.

“Yes. I can,” his voice was steely, “Don’t test me,” he warned. She glared rebelliously at him.

“Or what? You’ll kill me?” she demanded. There was an odd, reckless despair in her gaze. “Go for it. Saves me the trouble of doing it myself,” He blinked at her dramatic statement, staring at her for a moment before raising an eyebrow.

“You don’t mean that,” his tone was skeptical. 

“Yes I do,” she replied flatly. He rolled his eyes. Then without warning he spun her around and locked her in a choke hold. His arm pressed against her windpipe just enough to cut off her air supply. She went rigid, immediately beginning to fight against his grip and struggling unsuccessfully to pry his arm away from her neck.

“As I was saying,” his tone was almost bored, “you don’t mean that,” her struggling grew more desperate the longer he held her there. He frowned slightly. Usually this sort of thing gave him a rush of amusement. It had always been immensely satisfying screwing with people and watching them suffer. But at the moment he wasn’t feeling a damn thing. Except an unfamiliar, annoying feeling in his chest that was getting rather uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure what the hell it was, but the longer he choked the girl the worse it was getting. Finally he gave in and relaxed his grip around her neck, allowing her to gasp in some much needed air. He let out an irritated sigh. Had this body really stripped away his number one form of enjoyment? That just wasn’t fair… He shook his head. Well, it wasn’t as if he’d be stuck like this forever. He’d just have to hurry up and find a way back home.

He turned the girl around to face him. She regarded him warily, still breathing heavily.

“You shouldn’t ask people to kill you if you aren’t prepared to die,” He informed her dryly. She swallowed and winced.

“Well I wasn’t expecting you to up and attack me,” she defended hoarsely. He shook his head at her foolishness.

“If you really wanted to die then you wouldn’t have fought back,” he told her flatly, “I don’t care if you’re grieving or defective. That’s no excuse for giving in to hysterics,” his tone was severe. She stared at him wide eyed, apparently having no come back. She seemed a little taken aback at being reprimanded. “Now are you going to come with me, or do I have to carry you?” he asked crisply. She blinked several times before breaking eye contact and staring at the ground. “Well?” he demanded. Her shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Fine…” she replied. He nodded and set off for the vehicle again, pulling her along with him. This time she followed without objection.

When they reached the SUV Envy pulled open the passenger side door.

“Get in,” he ordered. Elsie frowned in confused.

“Wait…but…?”

“I’m driving,” he said flatly. Her eyes widened.

“What?! But…you can’t drive…” She protested uncertainly. He smirked slightly.  
“Yes I can. Get in,” she didn’t appear enthused by the idea but she reluctantly obeyed. He shut the door behind her and made his way around to the driver’s side. He stepped in and pulled the door shut before inspecting the mirrors. He’d watched Elsie fiddle with the controls earlier so he was pretty sure he could figure out how to work everything.

“Hey,” Elsie was giving him a suspicious look, “If you’re supposed to be Envy then how come you can drive?” he cast her a puzzled glance.

“I’m not sure why you think being Envy and being able to drive is mutually exclusive,” he replied.

“But—“

“We do have automobiles in my world, you know,” he cut her off, mildly exasperated. She didn’t appear convinced. He reached up and put the vehicle into drive, using the controls he’d observed her using before. Everything was arranged similarly to the automobiles he was used to, aside from the numerous extra buttons and dials he didn’t really care about. He turned the wheel as far as it would go and pressed down on the gas. The vehicle’s tires spun on the gravel before it leapt forward and around in a shockingly abrupt U-turn. Elsie gasped, grabbing the door and the console for balance.

“Envy!” Wrath protested from the backseat.

“Huh. It’s more sensitive than I expected. Nice turning circle though,” He felt a prick of satisfaction at the power the vehicle exhibited compared to the ones he was used to, “You might want to put those seat belts on,” he suggested dryly. Elsie and Wrath hastened to obey as he tore off down the gravel road, heading back for the highway.

“You could slow down a little,” Elsie commented, sounding unenthused.

“Nervous?” He asked tauntingly, swerving the vehicle back and forth slightly. She gripped the seat tighter.

“Keep in mind you and Curtis aren’t immortal here,” Her voice was filled with apprehension as she watched the scenery zipping by with large eyes.

“Huh, are you finally admitting you believe our story?” He inquired, shooting her a victorious smirk. She met his gaze uncertainly. “Relax,” He chuckled, “I’m just getting a feel for how it handles,” maybe making her suffer was no longer enjoyable, but making her nervous was pretty entertaining.

They reached the highway quickly, and sped up further to the posted speed.

“So where exactly is this town you mentioned?” Envy asked.

“Um… I think it’s a couple more miles down this road. The turn off to it is on the left hand side. There should be a sign there,” she replied. Envy nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. After several moments of quiet driving Elsie seemed to conclude he was able to drive in a sane manor. She relaxed back into the seat and closed her eyes, raising a hand to gently massage her throat. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, feeling a little bemused. The girl had no idea how lucky she was just to be alive. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had specifically asked him to kill them, but he was pretty sure it hadn’t been a short, painless death... Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that this body had come along with odd emotions and self-control. If it hadn’t then they would currently be in need of a new guide. 

True to her directions, they reached the turnoff for the town a half hour later. Envy pulled into it, slowing below the speed limit as he glanced around.

“Main Street,” Elsie said, eyes blinking open, “That’s where the convenience store is,” Envy frowned slightly. That was nice to know, but where exactly was Main Street?

“Turn left. Then your next right is main street,” She answered his unspoken question, sitting up straighter and glancing around as they made their way into the small town. He followed her directions and a moment later pulled into a parking spot in front of an old looking store. The sign over the door had seen better days, and the old, yellowed paint on the building was pealing slightly. Envy put the vehicle in park, eyeing the store suspiciously.

“Wrath,”

“Yes?” The boy replied quickly.

“I want you to go in with Elsie,” He commanded, “The two of you should attract less attention without me. I’ll wait with the vehicle.” Elsie swallowed and nodded.

“Could you grab my wallet out of the pack?” She asked, glancing back at the younger boy with a weak smile. Wrath nodded, reaching for the bag and fiddling with the zipper till he got it open. He dug through the contents and pulled out the small grey, square that he guessed had to be what she was looking for. 

“Thanks,” She said, taking it from him and turning to Envy, “This shouldn’t take long,” she told him, opening the door and stepping out. Wrath hastily followed her.

The bells over the door chimed loudly when they walked in. The place had a slightly musty smell to it, like most old buildings. There were several isles of food and snacks and a cooler of drinks. The man behind the counter had a lined, tired face and a fluff of grey hair. Wrath caught him gazing suspiciously at them. The boy frowned, turning and following Elsie down one of the isles. She quickly began picking out food that they could eat on the road, mainly meal replacement bars, packs of nuts and the like. When her arms were full she passed some of it off to him. She also stopped by the cooler and grabbed a flat of water.

Wrath followed her up to the counter, watching the old man warily. He didn’t like the vibe he was getting off of him. Elsie piled the goods on the counter, Wrath following suit.

“You kids aren’t from around here, are you?” It was more of a statement than a question. The man eyed them skeptically as he began scanning items.

“No, we’re just passing through,” Elsie’s voice was friendly and conversational.

“Got a destination in mind?” He asked, reaching for the water flat. Wrath glared at him. How was that any of his business?

“Yeah, we’re just driving up to see my aunt. She lives out on an acreage. We should be getting there sometime tomorrow, right Curtis?” She smiled down at him. Wrath nodded slowly. “We heard there’s some pretty neat hiking trails not far from there so we thought we’d grab some snacks and check them out on the way,” she explained, digging in her wallet and pulling out a small plastic card.

“Well I’m sure you’ll have more than enough snacks…Don’t you think it’s a little risky for the two of you to be off hiking alone?” The man sounded skeptical. Elsie shifted slightly.

“Oh my older brother’s with us too. He’s just waiting in the car,” She replied, glancing out the shop window from the corner of her eye.

“I see,” He sounded unconvinced. He finished scanning the last of the items and the total appeared on the small screen facing them. “You can swipe or insert your chip,” he said monotonously, beginning to bag the snacks. Elsie stuck the card into a small machine on the counter and punched some buttons. A moment later a piece of paper ground its way out of a square box by the till. Wrath frowned curiously. The technology here was strange. The man stuck the paper into one of the bags.

“Take care of yourselves,” He said, frowning gloomily.

“Thank you!” Elsie said. Her cheerful smile was slightly forced. She passed Wrath several bags and grabbed the water flat before making briskly for the door.

A moment later they were piling the supplies into the back seat and climbing back in the vehicle. Elsie pulled her door shut and quickly reached for her seatbelt.

“Let’s get out of here,” Her voice a little strained. Envy raised an eyebrow, putting the vehicle into reverse and pulling back into the street.

“What happened?” He asked. Elsie shook her head.

“Nothing, but that guy seemed suspicious. I bet he’ll report us once they put out the amber alert….they’ll probably track my debit card transactions too…” She frowned. Envy shot her a perplexed look. Debit card transactions?

“Wait! Pull in here!” She said abruptly. Envy jerked the vehicle into the parking spot she indicated.

“Why?” He asked, slightly irritated at being given abrupt orders. 

“Since they’ll know we were in this town anyway I might as well withdraw as much money from my account as I can before they freeze it,” She replied. Envy realized the building in front of them was a small bank. He nodded.

“Alright, hurry then. We’ll need to get a fair distance from here before we stop for the night,” He said. She climbed hastily out of the vehicle and walked into the bank. He could see her through the windows. She was at a machine pushing buttons.

“That man was talking to you guys. What did he say?” Envy asked, glancing at Wrath in the rear view mirror.

“He wanted to know where we were going. Elsie said we were going to visit her aunt,” Wrath replied. Envy sighed.

“This is going to be more challenging than I expected. I underestimated the technology and organization of this world,” He muttered.

“Wait, did you just say you underestimated humans?” Wrath asked, a teasing note creeping into his voice. Envy glared at him.

“What of it?” He demanded. Wrath giggled slightly.

“Nothing,” he looked out the window innocently. Envy clenched his teeth and looked away from the brat, fixing his gaze on Elsie again. The more time he spent in this body the less he despised her pathetic race. It wasn’t a good sign. Then again, once he got back to his old world, surely things would go back to normal. The changes couldn’t be permanent. On top of which they were pretty handy in dealing with the young Lust look-alike…

She emerged from the bank a moment later and climbed back in the vehicle.

“Alright, I’ve pulled out as much as I can for now. Let’s get out of here,” She said. Envy nodded, pulling swiftly out of the parking spot and tearing off down the road.

“Try not to get pulled over by the cops,” Elsie muttered. Envy rolled his eyes, but slowed slightly.

“Once we get stopped for the night I expect you to let us watch that anime,” he reminded her, heading back towards the highway. She nodded.

“I know,”

 

It was close to midnight when he finally pulled over into the turn off to a farmer’s field. They’d been traveling down back roads for the last half hour and as far as Envy could tell they were miles from any human residences. He hoped so anyway. Elsie yawned and stretched, unclipping her seatbelt. He turned a dead serious gaze on her.

“Anime,” he demanded. He’d waited long enough. Elsie sighed, reaching for the pack in the backseat and digging out her I-pod.

“Fine. But you better move to the backseat so Curtis can watch too.”

“You might as well call him Wrath you know,” Envy reminded her, exasperation coloring his tone. She gave him an unreadable expression before glancing back at the iPod.

“There’s a charging cable in the backpack. You can plug it in back there if the battery runs low, but only if the vehicle’s running. Try not to leave it running all night or we’ll waste our fuel,” She informed him, handing the iPod to Envy, “You swipe the screen like this to unlock it. Touch the buttons to navigate between episodes and press the triangle to start them,” She told him, smothering another yawn. Envy raised an eyebrow.

“Are you planning on disappearing somewhere?” he asked.

“I’m going to sleep,” She said flatly, “if you can’t make it work then wake me up.” With that she laid her seat back slightly and curled up facing the door, her back to Envy. He stared at her blankly for a moment. Finally he smirked bemusedly. That was awfully trusting. She must be pretty tired. Only that morning she’d been uncomfortable in close proximity to him, but now she was ok with sleeping two feet away from him. He shook his head and got out of the vehicle, moving to the back seat next to Wrath. The boy crowded in eagerly to see the screen and Envy elbowed him slightly.

“I am not cuddling with you,” He snapped, fiddling with the device to bring the first episode up. Wrath huffed and backed off a little, fidgeting impatiently.

“Is it ready?” He asked after a moment, leaning in again. Envy sighed in resignation.

“Yes, it’s ready,” he pressed the small triangle at the bottom of the screen. Both boys leaned closer to the small device with rapt attention. This was what they’d been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dramatic music* I wonder what horrible interdimensional problems it will cause if they watch the anime?! ... Well...given this is fanfiction and not science fiction, don't expect too much on that front.
> 
> Fangirls...I know, still no EnvyxOC...well, unless you consider him choking her to be the sign of a romantic relationship. x'D I really hope that isn't the case! As I said, romance isn't really the driving factor in this story. Have patience, its coming eventually lol.


	10. Breakdown

“What?! That can’t be how it ends! I thought you said I killed him!” an irate voice filled her ears, jarring her from sleep. She blinked slowly, surprised to see sunlight streaming through the windows. She’d only just meant to take a short nap. She rolled over stiffly and turned to look in the back seat. William was clutching her iPod and glaring down at it furiously. Beside him Curtis had a shocked expression on his face.

“You mean if I hadn’t done what I did… _that’s_ what would have happened?” he sounded disturbed.

“That can’t be the ending! They don’t explain what happens next!” William ranted, turning on Elsie, “You said I killed him! Where does that happen?” He demanded harshly. Elsie frowned, trying to think past the grogginess clouding her mind. This wasn’t what she’d expected to wake up to. They must have stayed up all night watching it.

“That happens in the movie,” She muttered, rubbing her eyes.

“Movie? What movie?!”

“There’s a movie that comes after the show which sums everything up. I don’t own it though,” She explained with a sigh. William glared blackly at her for a moment before his gaze returned to the iPod. A moment later a sadistic smirk crept over his face.

“You never mentioned I killed the pipsqueak,”

“Um, well he didn’t stay dead so I didn’t figure it mattered,” Elsie pointed out, trying to ignore how he kept referring to himself as Envy. She was starting to think she’d lost her mind a while ago and these actually were the characters. Not something she cared to consider… Envy was an interesting villain and all but…

 

“Heh,” William scoffed, “So what? I still got the satisfaction of killing him. Why are you looking at me like that?” He gave her a quizzical look. Elsie tried to clear the disturbed expression off her face.

“You really need to stop talking like that…”

“Like what?” he demanded.

“Like you’re Envy,” Elsie shivered slightly, a chill sinking into her bones. Obviously it had gotten cool overnight…

“I am Envy,” He smirked at her, “When are you going to get that through your thick human skull?” Elsie shook her head.

“Why would I want to believe that?” She asked, “I have a distinct memory of him ranting about how he was going to enjoy killing off every human one by one. That’s not someone I want to have ran away with!” Maybe there were thousands of rabid fan girls that would kill for a chance to do that. They’d have to forgive her for not attending their funerals. William chuckled darkly.

“But you did,” he countered.

“No. I don’t believe you,” Elsie replied stubbornly, “Besides, if that were true I’d be dead by now.”

“As tempting as the idea is, why would we kill off our guide?” William pointed out, the twisted smirk still playing across his lips. Elsie held his gaze for a moment, feeling a strange feeling creeping into her core around the numbness. Dread? She turned away from him, feeling her breath coming a little faster. She stared out the window, jaw tightening as the heavy pain began returning to her chest. This was so unbelievably messed up. The possibility of the two boys in the back seat actually being homunculi gave her goose bumps. _As temping as the idea is…_ Damn. The tone of his voice was disturbing. Why had she agreed to run away with this creep? Oh right, her father… in a choice between Envy and her dad… well Envy would probably win out. Even a crazy guy who was convinced he was Envy was still preferable.

“How much battery life is left on the iPod” She changed the subject, not turning around.

“You really still can’t accept it?” He sounded a little incredulous.

“Would it make you happy if I called you by their names?” She asked, the exasperation in her voice hiding the nagging fear that was creeping up on her.

“…That would be a start,” he sounded amused. Elsie turned to meet his gaze again, her neutral mask fixed firmly in place until she got a better grip on her emotions.

“Fine then, _Envy,_ ” The name felt strange on her lips using it to address someone in front of her, “What do you want to do now that you’ve seen the anime?”  
Envy pursed his lips thoughtfully.

“I’d like to see the movie…”

“There’s no point, you won’t like it,” Elsie shook her head, “You both die in it anyway,” she noticed Curtis-Wrath flinch slightly. She glanced at him, slightly concerned to see how shaken up he looked.

“Curtis, umm…Wrath, what’s wrong?” She asked, frowning slightly.

“I think seeing his arm and leg get ripped off and watching me shapeshift into Sloth freaked him out,” Envy replied, tossing the iPod into the backpack and leaning back in his seat. Wrath stared at the floor, looking like he was fighting back tears.

“Envy I don’t want to go back there…not if that happens,” he whispered. Envy scowled.

“Don’t be an idiot. It’s not like we’ll be going back to the exact same time as we left. At least…I don’t think we will…” He trailed off a little uncertainly.

“How exactly are you going to go about getting back?” Elsie asked skeptically.

“I haven’t worked that out yet. But I’ll figure something out,” Envy replied. She suspected he was less confident than he sounded.

Elsie sighed, rubbing her face. Loose strands of hair were slipping out of her bun and falling down her shoulders. She reached up and pulled the elastic out, letting the rest of it down. There was probably smudged makeup on her face too. Not much she could do about that though. There was something really unfair about feeling this tired right after waking up.

“Well in the meantime we should figure out where we’re going next,” She said, setting her seat back into the normal upright position, “Did you guys get any sleep last night?”

“Well no,” Envy replied as if it was obvious. Elsie wilted slightly.

“Fine, well I’ll drive today. At least until you’ve gotten some sleep,” she said.

“Where are we going exactly?” Envy raised an eyebrow.

“Out of the country, assuming we can get that far on our tank of gas. I hope we can. We have a better chance of eluding capture if we’re across the border,” Elsie explained. She glanced at Wrath again and leaned over to rest a hand on his knee. He looked up at her, a mixed expression on his face.

“Hey now, it’s all going to be fine one way or another. Don’t worry,” she tried to reassure him. Damn, she was such a liar. She felt guilty about the bit of assurance that made its way into his expression. At the moment she didn’t think they stood a chance of getting away and not being caught. Eventually it would happen, and they’d be dragged back to the ward and she’d have to live with her dad. But she didn’t want to burst their bubble. No point in worrying about that till it happened in any case. Trying to ignore the painful sinking feeling in her chest she sat up in her seat.

“How far is the border?” Envy asked. Elsie shrugged.

“I’m not exactly sure… a few hours maybe?” She replied. Once they reached another town she’d have a better idea of how far they’d have to drive.

She opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. It appeared to be mid-morning and the air was still crisp. A slight wind whispered through the crops in the fields around her, causing her to shiver. She glanced wistfully down the road, wishing she could go for a long walk and have some alone time to clear her head. Unfortunately she doubted Envy would have the patience for that. This would all be so much easier to cope with if she felt a little better. She couldn’t even pause to think about the cause of the pain and negativity swirling inside her. She’d completely fall apart and she didn’t think she’d have the energy to put herself back together again. Taking a deep breath, she walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Envy opened his door and stepped out beside her.

“Are you sure you’re ok to drive?” He asked, frowning. She eyed the dark circles beneath his slightly bloodshot eyes and smirked slightly.

“I’m better off than you. At least I got a night of sleep,” She pointed out.

“Well you still look awful,” he told her. She blanched.

“Gee, thanks… what, are you worried or something?” she raised an eyebrow. He abruptly scowled.

“I just don’t want you getting in an accident and killing us all,” he snapped. She raised her hands defensively.

“Alright, you don’t have to bite my head off. Look, I’ll drive until you’ve had a chance to sleep for a couple hours. Then if you really want to we can trade off,” assuming she didn’t prove him right and actually get them into an accident. Her looks weren’t lying about how she felt. But she was pretty sure Envy had to be feeling worse after an all-nighter. He attempted to continue scowling but was interrupted by a yawn. He rolled his eyes.

“…alright fine,” He muttered, rubbing an eye tiredly, “But just for an hour or two!”

“Alright,” Elsie smiled slightly.

Several hours later they were speeding down a two lane highway. There didn’t seem to be much traffic on this road. If they kept up like this Elsie guessed they’d be across the border that evening. They’d be getting pretty low on fuel by that point though. She chewed her lip anxiously. Getting fuel would be risky. She hadn’t turned on the radio so as not to wake up the boys, but she was sure there would be announcements on the news about their disappearance by now. She glanced in the rear view mirror at Wrath, who was fast asleep leaning against the door. He’d been out like a light since they started driving. Envy had taken a little longer to drift off, but now he looked rather peaceful, snoring softly with his head rolled to the side. Irony of ironies she envied him. She’d been fighting her ever present exhaustion for a while now. But she didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

A mix of guilt and slowly growing despair was eating at her. It had launched its attack as soon as both boys were soundly asleep; as soon as she was essentially alone. It always worked that way. Alone time, as much as she craved it, was dangerous. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as another wave pain washed over her. She’d been trying so hard not to think about it but it was impossible to avoid. Her mom was dead. It was all her fault. If she’d just been there to look after her it never would have happened. If she’d been more careful she never would have ended up in the hospital. All of this was her fault. She quivered from the tension of trying to remain silent. A quiet whimper escaped her lips, causing her to lock her jaw and hold her breath. The intensity of the pain made her want to writhe in her seat, or scream and sob and curl into a ball. She knew it would pass. She had to hang in there. Just a few more minutes and surely it would ease up again for a little bit... but when it got this bad every minute was a living hell and seemed to drag on for an eternity. 

She stared out desperately at the road, hardly aware of what she was seeing through the haze of misery. Several silent sobs wracked her body, but tears refused to come. At least if she could cry it would release some of the pressure. But no, her body had to torture her like this. She heard Envy stir beside her and grimaced. Dammit, of all the times for him to wake up why now? There wasn’t anything he could do to help her so it was better to be alone. She felt pathetic and worthless enough without him seeing her like this.

“…How long was I asleep?” his voice was hoarse from sleep. She couldn’t turn to look at him. Heck she couldn’t even reply. If she tried she was certain she’d shatter into a million pieces. She was teetering on the edge as it was. “Hey, what’s the matter with you?” He demanded, sitting up in his seat with a frown. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, willing herself to take deeper breaths in an attempt to think past the pain.

“Answer me,” His voice was severe and left no room for argument. She turned and glanced at him. He seemed to have mastered the art of looking pissed off and worried at the same time. “What’s wrong?” he asked. She felt a flare of bitter amusement. Would it be cliché to say _everything?_ There was no way to explain this to someone who hadn’t experienced it. Not in any way that they could truly comprehend. It was way too complicated and painful. She shook her head.

“Nothing,” she bit out, focusing her eyes on the road again.

“Bullshit. Pull over,” he replied harshly. She hesitated a moment. “Now!” He snapped. She slowed and pulled off to the side of the road, coming to a stop near the edge. She threw the vehicle into park and leaned forward to rest her head on the steering wheel, her arms wrapped around her waist so tightly she was shaking. Now that she had nothing she was forced to focus on, the pain overwhelmed her. Her breath came in short gasps with quiet sobs breaking through sporadically.

“Elsie. Breathe,” Envy commanded. He gripped her shoulder and pulled her upright firmly. “I don’t get what the hell is going on with you, but you need to breathe,” the irritation in his voice cut through some of the fog in her brain. She forced herself to take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She drew in another one just as another intense wave of pain tore through her. She whimpered, her breathing becoming ragged again. It was too much, she couldn’t take this anymore. She felt like something had grasped a hold of her soul and was slowly shredding it into little pieces. She glanced around in wild desperation and spotted a pencil that happened to be lying in the console. She felt oddly detached in a way, as her body seemed to act of its own accord. Without pausing to think it over she snatched it up and stabbed it into her arm. She let out a sharp gasp as the physical pain cut through part of the emotional agony like a bucket of ice water.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Envy cried, snatching the pencil from her grip. She took several shuddering breaths, leaning back against her seat. She could feel the worst of the pain in her chest starting to slowly drain away, leaving her feeling completely empty and spent. Her arm throbbed, but after the waves of emotional pain, physical pain almost felt good. It was certainly an improvement.

“You idiot! What were you thinking?” Envy sounded furious. 

“Sorry,” She whispered, glancing down at her arm. She froze, seeing a trickle of blood there. In all her past depressions she’d always managed to avoid slipping into self-harm, astoundingly enough. But apparently she’d reached her limit on that front. She swallowed, closing her eyes in defeat. How much farther could she fall, short of following in her mother’s footsteps?

“Elsie?” Wrath’s voice was filled with anxiety.

“Get out of the car,” Envy ordered her, opening his door and stepping out. Numbly she obeyed, climbing out slowly and shutting the door behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him striding purposefully around the vehicle towards her. She stared at the ground, half wondering if he was going to strike her. She probably deserved it. When he reached her he grabbed her arm instead, holding it up to inspect.

“I’ve always thought humans were self-defeating fools, but this takes the cake,” she looked up in surprise at the tone of his voice. Most of the anger had disappeared from it and a perplexed expression had settled on his face. He met her gaze, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t understand why you’d intentionally injure yourself.”

“Then count yourself lucky,” she murmured, glancing away. Humiliation was slowly growing inside her. This wasn’t a side of herself she wanted anyone to see... She blinked in surprise when fingers gripped her chin and turned her head back to face him. He stared at her hard for a moment, as if trying to read the answer in her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably under the close scrutiny, resisting the urge to pull her chin out of his grasp. The physical contact combined with the staring was a little unnerving.

Finally he released her, stepping back. He rested a hand on his hip, cocking his head to the side as he seemed to ponder something. The pose was oddly familiar. She stared at him wishing she knew what he was thinking. Then again, maybe she didn’t want to know. She wouldn’t blame him in the least for wanting to get rid of her at this point. She only kept reinforcing how pathetic she was. Part of it was not being on her meds. For all that they couldn’t fix everything, they did at least help. Her jaw tightened. There were people she knew that would avoid her like the plague if they’d witnessed what had just taken place. It was hardly fair; she hadn’t asked for any of this. But some people would never understand. It was probably just as well for them. 

“So do I have to keep you under 24-7 surveillance now?” He asked abruptly. She frowned slightly. “If you go to pieces every time I leave you alone then that’s a problem; especially if I can’t trust you to keep from damaging yourself,” he pointed out.

“Why does it matter?” she asked numbly.

“I’ve explained it before dimwit. You’re our guide. Until we get home, or get this world cased, we need you to function,” He explained carefully, as if talking to an exceptionally slow child. She nodded numbly.

“Right. Well I promise I won’t hurt myself again. I didn’t…mean for that to happen…” she replied reluctantly, staring at the ground. Envy chuckled slightly, causing her look up in confusion.

“You know, I don’t believe you for a second,” he told her, sounding dryly amused.

“But I’m serious,” she protested, frowning, “I didn’t mean too—”

“Exactly,” he cut her off, “You weren’t thinking. You were blindly acting. Which means if and when you’re in that situation again, you’re going to react the same way,” he said bluntly. She snapped her jaw shut. She didn’t want to admit that he was probably right. If she lost control again… there were worse things she could do than jab a pencil into her arm... Damn. It was a strange feeling being afraid of yourself... Of what you might do under the influence of a chemically imbalanced mental state.

“From now on I drive. You give me directions, but you aren’t driving anymore. Got it?” He asked seriously. She nodded. He opened the door to get into the vehicle.

“I’m sorry,” she said abruptly. He stopped, turning to frown at her.

“For what?” he asked, puzzled.

“For being so useless,” she muttered, turning away to head to the other side of the vehicle. If she couldn’t even drive a car without falling to pieces, what good was she? He reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly, stopping her. She turned back questioningly.

“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” He snapped, glaring at her sternly. She blinked in surprise. “It’s a pathetic waste of energy. If you’re that bothered by it then focus on actually being useful. Understood?” He demanded. She nodded slowly, a little taken aback. He seemed exasperated but satisfied. Shaking his head he released her, climbing into the vehicle and shutting the door. She stared straight ahead for a moment, processing those words. They felt like a slap. But she unwillingly had to admit he had a point. She shook her head, making her way around the vehicle to the passenger side. He wasn’t reacting the way she’d expected him to. Or they way anyone had usually reacted for that matter. It was…disconcerting. She didn’t quite know what to make of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Empathy: Not Envy's strong suite.
> 
> Envy's reaction to watching FMA mirrored my own. I mean _come on!_ Talk about a crappy ending to an awesome show. Conqueror of Shamballa only partly made up for it and they killed off my favorite character (Wrath). Oh...did I mention there were spoilers in this story? *sheepish* I always kinda figured that was a given when reading fanfiction so I never remember to warn people about them.


	11. Return

A week had passed. They'd successfully made it across the border and even managed to fuel up without incident in a tiny town along the way. They'd spent the last few days simply driving. They didn't have a destination in mind, but if they kept on the move they were less likely to be caught before they figured out what to do next. They were currently pulled off on a back road for the night. Wrath and Elsie were already asleep. Envy was still in the driver's seat. It was laid back for sleeping, but he was wide awake and lost in thought.

Scenes from the anime played through his mind. It was bizarre to watch parts of your own life playing out in front of you. Of course they'd missed large chunks of it while they focused on the pipsqueak and his allies. The part that fascinated him the most was the bit at the end that hadn't actually happened. If Wrath hadn't gotten them into this mess, would things have actually turned out like that? He couldn't say he'd be against that. Watching the pipsqueak die by his hand had been immensely satisfying. Although the tin can just had to go and bring him back... At least Ed had been a fool and thrown away his brother's sacrifice, winding up on the other side of the gate again. Humans never ceased to amaze him…

He sat up, staring out the window. It wasn't that he wasn't tired. Driving all day took a toll on this body. But the dreams he'd been having lately bothered him. Seeing himself from an outside perspective, how he behaved, the things he said… Something about it didn't sit right with him. His speech about slaughtering all the humans which Elsie had pointed out… it felt a little odd now that he himself was…well…human. He'd told himself he was just a homunculus trapped in a human shell, but at this point he had to admit that wasn't the case. He didn't feel the same. The sin he'd been named after no longer overrode all other feelings. Of course it was still there. But not like it used to be.

He glanced at the girl sleeping next to him. The full moon illuminated the vehicle enough that he could see her. She seemed restless. He wasn't the only one who'd been having bad dreams. Ever since her little breakdown a week ago she'd been startling awake at least once a night. She wouldn't say what the dreams were about, but they obviously shook her up. He wasn't quite sure what to do about her. She'd been holding it together but she wasn't doing well and it concerned him. He couldn't say he liked her. He didn't particularly like anyone. But the misery radiating off of her was tangible. He'd never had to spend time with someone like this. Well, he'd never really spent time in close quarters with humans in general. Still, just being around her was draining and he wished he could snap her out of it somehow.

She stirred and rolled over to face him, eyes opening and meeting his gaze.

"You're still awake?" She asked quietly. He nodded, turning to stare out the window once more. She propped herself up on at elbow. "You should probably try to sleep. You look tired," she sounded a little worried. He shrugged. He needed to come up with another plan. Now that they had evaded immediate capture they had to figure out what to do next. And even after a week of deliberating on it, he didn't have a clue where to start. He was starting to doubt their chances of actually getting back to their world...Without alchemy, how was it even possible? Apparently Elsie's gloom was contagious. He felt a hand rest on his arm and he turned in surprise.

"Are you ok?" she asked, eyes wide in the dark. He stared at her. Was she seriously concerned about him? That was absurd.

"I'm fine," He muttered gruffly, not having the heart to slap her hand away.

"Liar," she retorted softly.

"You should go back to sleep," he told her flatly, unenthused.

"…Alright," he could have sworn he saw a sad smile flicker across her face, but it was hard to tell in the dark. She let go of his arm, rolling over with her back to him once more. He stared at her, a little confused by an unfamiliar feeling stirring inside him. His arm felt strangely cold with the sudden absence of her touch. He shook his head. This body's reactions made no sense. He lay back in his seat with a sigh. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take her advice.

He bolted upright several hours later, panting slightly and not entirely sure of what woke him. It was still dark, the moon illuminating the landscape eerily. He wasn't the only one awake. Elsie was sitting up as well.

"What happened?" Wrath asked from the back. Something wasn't right. The hairs on the back of Envy's neck prickled. This sensation in the air…he'd felt it before. Abruptly he threw his door open and bolted out of the vehicle. He came to a stop in the middle of the road, feeling a strange need to be somewhere but he didn't know where exactly. It was like something was tugging at him.

Wrath and Elsie joined him a moment later.

"I don't understand. What's this feeling?" Wrath glanced around apprehensively.

"What feeling?" Elsie asked, seeming puzzled.

"Something isn't right," Envy muttered. The air seemed to be growing thicker, heating up and crackling with energy. A sudden blast of air knocked the three of them to the ground, a sonic boom echoing around them. Envy coughed on the stirred up dust, rolling over to see what had caused the explosion. A gasp escaped his lips. Wrath gave a sharp cry, scrambling backwards slightly. Elsie turned and froze. Hovering in the air over the road was an impossibly large gate.

"What's happening!? How is this possible?" Wrath cried, sounding terrified. Envy leapt to his feet, staring at the giant doors with a flicker of hope. He shared Wrath's confusion, but unlike the boy he found the sight of the gate to be extremely encouraging. Was this their ticket home? Something latched on to his arm. He glanced down and found to his surprise it was Elsie.

"Don't you dare leave me behind," She was quivering in fear from head to toe as she stared at the gate. That wasn't what he'd expected her to say. But if she wanted to come that was her choice. He wasn't about to stop her.

"Well fine. But don't come whining to me if you regret it," He grinned slightly as the doors cracked open. He felt Wrath latch on to his other arm and he rolled his eyes. Since when had he become a comforting figure?

A thousand eyes blinked open, staring out at them from the depths of the gate as numerous dark hands reached towards them. Wrath whimpered and Elsie clung tighter to the green haired boy. Envy gave a low chuckle as the hands seized them and they were dragged into the gate. A moment later the doors swung shut behind them with a shuttering boom. Apparently he didn't have to figure out a way home after all. It was dragging them back all on its own.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

_"Who are you? What's going on?"_

Elsie slowly drifted into consciousness. Something felt different, but she wasn't sure what it was just yet. Her eyelids felt glued shut. She forced them open, blinking several times and taking a deep breath. The air filling her lungs felt unusually invigorating and relief washed over her. She didn't feel like she was slowly being crushed to death….And then it hit her. It was actually gone. The weight on her chest, the pain, the empty dead feeling in her core… all of it was gone. She felt alive again! She forced herself upright to take in her surroundings and froze, her head beginning to spin. What…the hell?

This room was startlingly familiar. But it wasn't supposed to actually exist. The giant ballroom had rows of boxes for onlookers lining the walls. Gold carvings covered them lavishly, while numerous small chandlers were put to shame by the giant, sparkling one hanging in the center of the ceiling. The sheer size of the place was breath taking, but it was the strange familiarity that struck her speechless. Everything looked just like it did in the anime. And she most definitely wasn't alone.

"Alphonse..? _Al!_ Where are you? What the hell is going on?!" The distraught voice was easily recognizable, "What are you guys doing here? It was supposed to be Al!" Her gaze focused on the small, golden haired alchemist a short distance off. He was standing at the edge of a large transmutation circle. He was splattered with blood and a little torn up, not how she remembered seeing him at the end of the anime. Speaking of which, Gluttony, Dante and Rose were nowhere in sight.

She heard a soft groan to her left and turned to see Wrath attempting to push himself into a sitting position. Her breath caught in her throat. He was still clothed in a white t-shirt and jeans, but there was no doubt in her mind now. His hair, his eyes, the shape of his face, everything practically screamed that he was without a doubt the real Wrath. He looked just like he did in the anime. There was no way to avoid the truth now. But if he was the real Wrath, then that meant…

"Hey pipsqueak, what the hell is going on here?" Envy demanded. He was already on his feet and glaring at the shorter boy. Elsie turned slowly and trailed her gaze over him. Same sneakers, same jeans and brown partly unbuttoned shirt… but his green hair now fell in its signature palm tree spikes and his features had taken on their usual anime femininity. He glanced down at her, briefly meeting her gaze. The same icy panic she'd felt the first time he'd laid eyes on her back at the ward filled her chest. He was Envy. The real Envy, in the flesh, standing close enough she could reach out and touch him. The same Envy who'd tortured and killed countless humans in cold blood and _enjoyed_ it, was the same boy she'd spent the last three weeks with. She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around the idea.

"That's what I want to know!" Ed shouted, "Where is Al?"

_"Brother?"_

"How should I know?" Envy scoffed, "Where's Gluttony and the old hag?"

"Dante? She ran off while I was battling Gluttony, although she probably hasn't gotten far. I sent Rose to the surface and used Gluttony to open the gate and bring back Al's soul in exchange for mine," Edward explained.

"You idiot," Envy sounded exasperated, "Just where was his soul supposed to go when it got here, huh?"

"Well…in my body…I think," Ed sounded a little uncertain.

"Wait, you think your brother wants to be trapped in the body of a midget?" Envy asked in amusement.

"Why you— Just who do you think you're calling little?!" Ed's expression instantly lit with rage.

"Well obviously that plan didn't work out. So why the hell are we here? Not that I'm complaining, the free ride back was a pleasant surprise," Envy smirked, completely ignoring his outburst. Ed's expression morphed into one of confusion.

"Free ride back….what are you talking about? What happened to your clothes?" He glanced at Wrath and his eyes widened, "Hey, where are your burns?!" Wrath glared at him, not seeing fit to answer.

_"Brother! I'm here!"_

Elsie gasped and clutched at her head. No one else seemed to notice the desperate, familiar voice echoing through her mind.

 _"Who are you? You need to tell brother I'm here!"_ The voice insisted.

"Alphonse?" Elsie whispered, staring straight ahead, eyes wide.

 _"Yes! It's me! How do you know who I am?"_ the voice sounded puzzled.

"It's complicated," Elsie replied, thoughts spinning wildly. What the hell was going on?

_"What's your name?"_

"It's Elsie," She said.

"Who are you talking to?" Elsie turned to see Envy giving her a strange look.

"Edward," She called, slowly pushing herself to her feet. Ed's expression grew confused.

"…Lust? Is…that you?" He asked uncertainly. Elsie blinked. Lust? He thought she was Lust? Under other circumstances she would have laughed.

"No, I'm Elsie. Your brother's here Ed," She told him urgently.

"What?!" Ed and Envy exclaimed in unison, Ed's voice hopeful, Envy's confused.

"Where is he? Al?" Ed called to his brother.

 _"I'm in here!"_ Alphonse shouted, making Elsie wince.

"Don't yell, he can't hear you," She said, massaging her temples as a headache started to grow. Envy stared at her with a blank expression. Edward took a step forward.

"Al? Is he…is his soul inside you?" The hope in his eyes was painful.

_"Yes! I'm in here."_

"Seems like it. At least, I can hear his voice in my head, so whatever that means…" Elsie trailed off. Wow. That sounded sane. Edward crossed the distance between them, stopping in front of her and hesitating uncertainly.

 _"Brother, I'm so glad you're ok!"_ the relief in Al's voice was tangible.

"He's really glad you're ok," She told Ed awkwardly. So Alphonse was somehow stuck inside her head…. She'd thought her actual delusions and hallucinations back at the hospital were strange, but this was just plain bizarre…. Did this mean she was stuck as Al's narrator forever? She didn't have anything against him, but that wasn't a very good setup for either of them.

"Wait…so you're saying the tin can is inside Elsie now?" Envy sounded like he was having trouble believing what he was hearing.

"Don't worry Al, I'll find a way to get you back in a body of your own! I promise. The main thing is that you're still here," Ed's relief mirrored his brother's. A frown creased his expression as his gaze became focused on Elsie.  
"If you're not Lust, then who are you? How did you get pulled across? How did any of you get pulled across for that matter?" Ed glanced at the other two boys. Wrath was watching the scene unfold warily, clearly unsure of who's side he was on at this point. Envy frowned in irritation.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he snapped, "Why does it matter? We're here now, and you and I have unfinished business," a dark smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. Elsie's eyes widened. Was he serious? Watching Ed die hadn't been enough, apparently he still wanted to do it with his own hand. Ed turned away from her towards the green haired boy.

"Fine then," He replied seriously, "Let's get this over with."

"Envy, wait," Elsie began. He completely ignored her, stepping forward and raising an arm, clearly intent on turning it into his usual weapon. Except… he froze, staring at his arm. It hadn't transformed. A series of emotions paraded across his face; confusion, anger, disbelief, horror. Ed watched him quizzically, clearly confused by Envy's uncharacteristic behavior.

"Wrath!" Envy snapped, whirling on the boy, "Transmute something!" He ordered. Wrath's eyes widened as he realized what the older boy was afraid of. He crouched and clapped his hands against the floor. A heavy silence rained throughout the ballroom.

"So you're…still human…" Elsie whispered, the implications of this hitting her. This wasn't such a bad thing for Wrath. But Envy…?

"Shit," the green haired teen hissed, hands clenched into fists as he quivered in anger.

"Wait, how are you—" Edward didn't get to finish his question before Envy bolted.

"Envy wait!" Elsie called again, taking a step after him. And just like before, he completely ignored her, disappearing out of one of the exits.

 _"How did they become human?"_ Alphonse asked.

"I'm not entirely sure…" Elsie frowned in thought.

"Sure of what?" Ed turned back to her. Elsie shook her head.

"How they became human," she clarified. "Wrath," She called the dark haired boy. He walked over slowly, eyeing Edward uneasily. "You said you transmuted the philosopher's stone as the gate was pulling you in, right?" Elsie questioned.

"Wait, you what?!" Ed whirled on the younger boy. Wrath stepped closer to Elsie, glaring at the blond alchemist.

"Yeah, what of it?" He retorted.

"Why was the gate pulling him in?" Ed frowned in confusion.

"Dante summoned the gate to take your limbs away from him," Elsie replied.

"…How exactly do you know about my limbs?" Ed raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Your brother's in her head dummy. Don't you think that'd fill her in on some stuff?" Wrath answered for her. Elsie shot him a surprised look. That was an unexpected cover, but it certainly saved them time explaining her strange knowledge about everything. She had to give the kid credit for thinking on his feet.

 _"Umm…it does?"_ Al sounded confused. Elsie shook her head slightly. She'd have to explain some stuff to him later.

"So you're saying he activated the philosopher's stone at the same time this was happening?" Ed asked. Elsie nodded.

"Any idea what that would cause?" She questioned. Ed rocked back on his heels, blowing out a gust of air with a thoughtful frown.

"Honestly, I have no idea. What were you intending for the transmutation?" He asked Wrath. Wrath shrugged.

"I wasn't intending anything. I just…did it," he replied. Ed seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then a light seemed to go on over his head.

"Is there any chance you were thinking about your desire for my body?" Ed asked him intently. Elsie bit her lip. Hard. She'd almost burst out laughing, and that would have been inappropriate given the situation. She drew in a deep, calming breath. Neither of them seemed to be aware of just how…awkward that sounded, and she wasn't about to enlighten them.

"I dunno. I might have been…" Wrath replied uncertainly, "It all happened really fast, and then Envy jumped on me."

 _"What's so funny?"_ Alphonse asked. Elsie shook her head, forcefully dragging her brain out of the gutter.

"He did? So there was physical contact with him during the transmutation?" Ed asked. Wrath nodded.

 _"Brother, I think I know why they got dragged back when you transmuted me,"_ Al's voice was urgent in her mind.

"Hold on Al, what do you mean?" Elsie asked, turning away from the other two boys slightly.

_"It's Wrath's alchemy. He can transmute the materials around him onto himself."_

"I'm not following you…" Elsie frowned. Ed and Wrath had turned to stare at her expectantly.

 _"When he transmuted me…I think he somehow transmuted a part of my soul to himself, and to Envy through him,"_ Al explained.

"But that doesn't make any sense. Isn't your soul attached to me right now?" Elsie sounded puzzled.

 _"Yes. I said_ part _of my soul. The main part is right here, with my consciousness. But I can sense that Wrath is standing several feet away and that Envy is currently making his way out of the Underground City. The only way that seems possible is if they're connected to me somehow. And if that is the case, perhaps when Ed dragged my soul from the gate they got dragged along too since part of my is attached to them,"_ Al sounded fairly certain about his explanation.

"What's he saying?" Ed demanded impatiently.

"I think…he's saying the reason Envy and Wrath got pulled back with your transmutation is because part of him is attached to them. Something to do with how Wrath's alchemy works and stuff," Elsie relayed a shorter version to him. Edward blinked, seeming taken aback.

"Wait…but…oh," he muttered.

"What?" Elsie raised an eyebrow.

"That might actually make sense. Given that he was using the philosopher's stone, and Dante's transmutation clashed with it at the same time, anything could have happened. Especially since Wrath didn't have a set plan for his transmutation," Ed explained. Wrath shifted uneasily.

"Then how come Elsie got pulled in with your transmutation?" He asked. Ed frowned.

"That's a good question," He turned an intent gaze on Elsie. She shrank back slightly. His golden stare was a little intimidating in person, despite the fact that he was a good two inches shorter than her.

"Um…well I grabbed onto Envy when the gate showed up…" She mentioned nervously.

"…I suppose it's possible that you could have been dragged in as well... Maybe the gate needed a body to dump the rest of Al's soul in. But you would've needed some sort of payment for your passage. I doubt my transmutation would have covered that," Ed pointed out.

"Payment?" Elsie sounded perplexed.

"Well, are you missing anything? …Does anything hurt internally?" He sounded a little apprehensive. Elsie frowned. Well she obviously wasn't missing any limbs. She felt perfectly fine internally as far as she could tell, so she doubted she was missing anything there. In fact, she hadn't felt this good overall in quite a while. Not since… her eyes widened slightly.

"What is it?" Wrath asked with a tinge of anxiety. Elsie shook her head slowly. Was it possible? Would the gate actually be willing to accept that as payment? She felt a wild hope growing inside her. It was the only thing she could think of that made sense given how she currently felt.

"I think…" she hesitated a moment before plunging ahead, "I think it stripped away my Bipolar Disorder as payment!" Wrath blinked, clearly not expecting that as an answer.

"You mean the thing that's turned you into such a zombie for the last week?" he asked. Elsie nodded, a slow smile growing on her face. "So…that's a good thing, right?" Wrath seemed uncertain. She chuckled slightly.

"Yes Wrath, that's an awesome thing…assuming that's what actually happened," She was a little scared to get her hopes up in case she turned out to be wrong.

"What's Bipolar Disorder?" Edward looked utterly lost. Elsie sighed.

"It's a mental illness. I don't think it exists in this world," she explained. He gave her an odd look.

"Well….I guess it's possible…. It's hard to say what the gate would consider an equivalent fee for passing between worlds…" He didn't really sound convinced, "But regardless, you're here now. Who are you, and how did you get mixed up with Envy and Wrath?" He demanded, crossing his arms and staring her down.

"Oh, we met her in the psych ward. She helped us escape!" Wrath chirped helpfully. Elsie wilted. Of all the ways to get introduced to someone, that wasn't her first pick… Ed was giving her a strange look again.

"Why were you in a psych ward?" He sounded a little wary. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Why does it matter? Aren't there more important things to be focusing on?" she asked crisply, crossing her arms. Ed shook his head slightly as if to clear it.

"You're right," he rubbed his forehead tiredly; "We're going to have to find some way to get Alphonse out of your body and into a body of his own. Now it's a little more urgent since he's bonded to a person and not a suit of armor. I have no idea whether or not the bond will last for a long period of time…" He trailed off frowning. Elsie blanched slightly.

"Well it's not exactly the most ideal set up either. I'm sure Al doesn't want to communicate through me for the rest of his life," She pointed out. On top of which, she wasn't keen on having a disembodied voice in her head for an extended period… That couldn't be healthy for her already compromised sanity.

"Yeah, but this isn't exactly going to be easy. My brother and I have been trying for years to get our regular bodies back," Ed informed her gravely, "But still, we have to try. First things first," he put his hands on his hips, "Al, do you have any suggestions?"

 _"Well if my soul is spread out over multiple people that complicates things,"_ Al pointed out.

"He says his soul being spread out complicates things," Elsie relayed. Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That's true…we'd need you, Wrath and Envy involved in the transmutation for it to work. But the problem is finding something to attach his soul to," Ed mused. Elsie frowned.

"Why not just transmute a body for him?" she suggested.

"…huh?" Ed had a blank expression on his face.

 _"What are you saying?"_ Al asked.

"Well it wouldn't technically be human transmutation, right? Because he isn't really dead, so there's already a soul to work with. It could be two separate transmutations. Create the body and then attach his soul to it," Elsie explained. Ed looked a little stunned by the idea.

"But…that's ridiculously dangerous! I have no idea how Al is attached to you. I doubt you have a blood seal somewhere on your body. I suspect he's riding in you the same way the Ed on the other side of the gate was riding in my mind when I took over his body. If something went wrong it could kill you both," Edward explained seriously.

"Well…do you have any other ideas?" Elsie asked.

 _"That might actually work,"_ Al interjected.

"…it would?" She raised her eyebrows.

 _"Brother's knowledge of alchemy has advanced enormously since he sealed my soul to that suit of armor. If he takes the time to study up on it and prepare, I bet that he could do it,"_ Al's voice sounded confident.

"Al thinks you can manage it," Elsie met Ed's gaze uncertainly.

"But Al, the risk is too big. I don't want to lose you for good," Ed frowned worriedly.

_"You won't know how big a risk it is until you do some research on it. This sounds like a plausible idea to me. We at least need to look into it."_

"Al wants you to research it and find out more. He still thinks it's possible," Elsie explained. Ed seemed to ponder that for a moment. Wrath shifted impatiently.

"Well he can't stay inside Elsie forever. I mean you can't even talk to him properly. You have to do something," the dark haired boy pointed out. Ed shot him a slightly irritated look.

"Alright fine, I'll head back to Central and try to come up with something there. I'd have to gather the ingredients there anyway. But listen, if this turns out to be too dangerous I won't do it," Ed warned.

 _"Good. We also need to find Envy,"_ Al said.

"We do?" Elsie blinked in surprise.

 _"Well yeah. We need him if we're going to do the transmutation. Also…he's mortal now right? If he goes and gets himself killed while part of me is attached to him, who knows what would happen?"_ Al's voice was concerned. Elsie paled slightly. That could kill Al. And furthermore, with Al inside her what would that mean for her? What if her soul was merged with Al's somehow? She could die too.

"What is it?" Ed frowned.

"He says we need to find Envy. For the transmutation, but also…if either he or Wrath dies when part of Al's soul is attached to them…" Elsie trailed off. Ed's eyes widened.

"Shit…he's right... Even more reason to get his whole soul attached to a body of its own," A new determination had lit up in the golden boy's expression.

_"We should split up. Brother and Wrath can go back to Central while we track down Envy."_

"You mean track him down alone?" Elsie's voice wavered slightly.

 _"It makes the most sense. Envy isn't exactly patient, so it's better if brother is already getting prepared while we track him down. And I can sense Wrath's location, so if he goes with Ed we won't have any trouble finding them again,"_ Alphonse explained.

"Hold on, he wants you to track down Envy alone?!" Ed sounded a little outraged, "He'll kill you!" Elsie flinched slightly. Yeah …it was a definite possibility.

"Al thinks it'll save time, so everything will be already in progress when we find Envy and bring him back," Elsie explained hesitantly.

"How exactly are you going to find him anyway?" Edward demanded.

"Al can sense him because of the soul connection. He can sense Wrath too, so if Wrath goes with you then we'll be able to find you again," Elsie replied. Ed blinked, not seeming to have an immediate come back to this.

"You want me to go with him?" Wrath eyed Ed looking less than thrilled.

"What's stopping Envy from killing you on sight? He may not be a homunculus anymore, but I'm sure he's more than capable of taking out an unarmed teenage girl," Ed piped up again. Then he hesitated. "Unless you've got fingers like Lust did…" He sounded skeptical. Elsie laughed nervously.

"No, I'm just human," She replied, "But…I don't think he'll kill me…" she sounded surer than she actually felt.

"What, are you guys buddies or something?" Ed raised an eyebrow. Wrath snorted.

"I don't think Envy is _buddies_ with anyone," Elsie smirked slightly, "But either way, I doubt Envy will listen if you come. He's not exactly your biggest fan," she grimaced at the thought of the two of them fighting. That wouldn't end well for Envy at this point. She could just picture the roles being reversed, with Ed's arm stabbing through Envy chest; although Ed probably wouldn't be grinning like a psychopath... Either way, both she and Al could end up dead… Ed scowled.

"Yeah, well the feeling's mutual," he muttered, "But I guess you have a point…" he seemed pretty reluctant, "So will the brat be willing to come with me then?" He asked, glancing at Wrath. Wrath glared at him. Elsie frowned slightly. The two of them didn't exactly have the best relationship… She crouched down to be more at Wrath's level.

"Hey," She said. He turned and met her eyes gravely. Up close his large blue eyes were breath taking. But they weren't the same eyes as the child that had been found on Yock Island. There was a sad maturity there that spoke of a number of unpleasant, heart wrenching experiences. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to," She told him, "We can track Ed down on our own if it comes right down to it."

"What about you? Are you sure you want to track Envy down alone?" Wrath asked, worry flickering across his face. Elsie nodded slowly.

"It'll be fine. I'm not exactly planning on provoking him," She said reassuringly. Wrath regarded her for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face. It was an expression she remembered from the anime, and she felt a slight chill run through her. The sweet kid she'd been hanging around with for the last three weeks hadn't always been so sweet… he'd been lethal in his own right.

"Fine," He said finally, "I'll go with Ed…but only if you're sure you're ok with going alone," there was still a concern in his eyes.

"I'm sure. Neither of us are much of a match against him the way we are now anyway," She pointed out, "If it's just me then he might feel less threatened," she didn't really believe that that would make any difference at all. But it sounded like it made sense…. Wrath sighed slightly.

"Alright," he agreed, then his expression darkened "…But if he hurts you I'll make him pay," the hint of savage protectiveness in his voice startled her. She felt a little blossom of warmth in her chest. She hadn't realized he cared that much… She would've hugged him if he hadn't looked quite so intimidating just then...

"I'm still not comfortable with this... Envy's a killer," Ed shifted uncomfortably, a frown gracing his brow.

"Well, I survived the last three weeks with him without him killing me…I'm not saying that it isn't a possibility… but I think becoming human has changed him a bit," Elsie said, straightening up to stare at Ed. Something in his expression made her pause. "Umm, is something wrong?" She asked. Ed slowly shook his head.

"You say you spent three weeks with him?" He asked.

"Umm, something like that. Why?" She wasn't really sure where he was going with this.

"It's just…from what I can tell the two of them have only been gone for maybe an hour or so…" Ed appeared puzzled. Elsie blinked. That was…quite a time difference.

"Must be something to do with how fast time moves in different dimensions," She mused.

 _"The longer we spend discussing this, the farther away Envy gets. I can't sense much other than his location, but I get the feeling he's run into something or someone he doesn't like,"_ Al informed her. Elsie braced herself.

"Al says we should get moving," She told Ed, awaiting his reaction. Edward sighed.

"Fine. Just…please be careful. If you aren't back by the time I find the research and ingredients I'm looking for then I'm coming after you," He warned.

"I'll be careful. I promise, I won't let anything happen to Al," She tried to reassure him. She doubted it would do much. They'd only just met. There was no way he trusted her. She suspected the only reason he was letting her out of his sight was that he was sure she wouldn't want to spend the rest of her life with a disembodied voice in her head. Meaning she had good incentive to come back like she'd promised.

"Yeah well," He regarded her warily, "Just don't die," he'd had the same thing said to him once before. However…he'd died anyway. Elsie did her best to ignore that and nodded. She turned towards Wrath and after a moment's hesitation wrapped him in a hug. Wrath stood stiffly surprised for a moment, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist in return.

"Try not to beat Ed up too badly while I'm gone," She whispered to him. He chuckled slightly, pulling back.

"I'll try," he replied with a smirk.

 _"We should get going,"_ Al urged. Elsie nodded, turning and heading for the exit Envy had taken. "Keep going up the stairs. They lead into a church and then out into central city from there."

"I know," Else replied, skipping up two of the narrow steps at a time.

 _"How do you know about brother and me, and this place?"_ Alphonse asked his voice curious. Elsie chuckled breathlessly.

"That's so ridiculously complicated. Tell you what. If we manage to get you back into a body of your own, I'll sit down and explain everything," she said, pausing for breath in her swift trek up the stairs. This was a long ways up!

 _"Alright. I'll hold you to that,"_ Al warned her. She smirked slightly. This was…the ultimate definition of losing your mind: Conversing with the voice of a character in your head that isn't supposed to exist, running through a world that's only meant to exist in an anime. But she'd lost her mind before and this was nothing like the hallucinations and delusions she'd experienced during that. This felt far too real. On top of which she felt great. So even if she was just lying in a coma somewhere in the real world, she just hoped she never woke up.

Ed watched her go, mixed feelings playing across his face.

"Awe, dammit. I should go after her. She's heading off to her own suicide," He muttered.

"She'll be fine," Wrath told him, "Envy's gone softer than he used to be. He won't kill her," he sounded fairly certain.

"Why didn't you pipe up earlier?" Ed asked, sounding slightly exasperated. Wrath glanced at the exit Elsie had just disappeared into.

"I didn't want her counting on that. It's better that she's on her guard," He replied. After all, Envy was a bit of a wild card. It was hard to predict exactly what he'd do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wishful thinking on my part? Hell. Yes. lol. But I didn't think anyone would want to follow a depressed OC for the rest of the story. That would just be...depressing...
> 
> There you go. First miniscule hint of some EnvyxOC to come. You're not going to be getting anything more than hints for a long time though. ;) I want to make a comment. In almost all the Envy fanfiction I've read, Envy is practically a Casanova. A male Lust if you will. Thats all well and good. But realistically I don't think it makes sense. In neither anime do they mention any hint of physical attraction to anyone or anything in relation to Envy. Its just not something that even enters into the radar for him. So, in my opinion he'd be pretty clueless. x'D He might understand the concept of physical attraction as it applies between _other_ people, but it's not something he would have personal experience with. At least, that's the view I'm writing him from.
> 
> So they got back to the anime! Yay! Poor Envy. Something tells me he wouldn't be my biggest fan right now. I'm pretty sure he'll forgive me later lol. There was a _lot_ of standing around talking about alchemy stuff. If any of that didn't seem realistic, blame it on artistic license. I'm not an alchemist. And really, I always wondered why they didn't just make a new body for Al to attach his soul to...maybe in the show it's supposedly not possible or something. In my story it is. :P So there! And a note about how Al is attached to Elsie, in case that confused people. Remember how when Ed crossed the gate he took over another guy's body but the other guy's soul was still riding along with him? Same deal here but in reverse. Elsie's still in control, Al is the passenger. There will be some more details on that in a later chapter.


	12. Facing Reality

Storm clouds rolled ominously overhead. A strong wind had blown up, scattering old pieces of trash and clouds of dust along the old stone road. The air smelled sharp with a mix of pollution and rain. This was going to be quite the storm. A few beggars were huddled along the side of the road, but most people in the Old District of Central City were safely indoors. Those that weren’t were hurrying to get there before they were caught in a deluge.

Envy shoved roughly past just such a person, ignoring their protest. Stupid, human scum! He wasn’t sure where he was going. He hadn’t stopped to think about anything since he'd bolted from the Underground City. There was too much emotion churning inside him. He couldn’t stop to sort it out, he had to keep moving. He was…afraid. He wasn’t prepared to face reality. Not this reality. This was a nightmare. He had to find some way to wake up.

His breathing was ragged as he broke into a run. The first drops of rain were beginning to pelt the ground, splashing across his skin like icy needles. He shuddered, hating the way this body responded to the cold. This weak, pathetic, _human_ body! He was stuck in it! The rain began to pour down harder and faster. Within a matter of seconds he could hardly see where he was going through the downpour. Lightning flashed overhead followed by an immediate clap of thunder that half deafened him. The shape of a building loomed ahead of him. As he got closer he realized it was an old abandoned warehouse. The windows and doors were boarded up, but someone had smashed through the boards of the door closest to him. At that moment something hard struck him with a small starburst of pain. He cried out and slapped a hand to his shoulder. He was struck several more times along his arms and head. He grunted in pain, realizing that large pieces of hail were now mixed in with the rain. Just perfect.

He didn’t stop to consider it; he made a beeline for the broken door. He had to get out of this storm before he was knocked out by the hail. He’d gotten enough bruises as it was. A moment later he burst through the jagged opening, staggering to a halt in the dimly lit space and catching his breath. The only light came from the door, and from the occasional broken window along the ceiling which hadn’t been boarded up. It was a fairly large space, half the size of the ballroom he’d been in earlier. There appeared to be old, rusted machinery and empty boxes lying around. Nice place. 

He rubbed at the skin on his arms, still throbbing from the hail, and growled as he began to shiver. The air was cool from the storm and he was soaked to the bone. Wind whistled in through the door, adding to his discomfort. He walked farther into the shop, hoping to escape the breeze. Wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to ward off the chill, he crouched behind a large, empty bin. This was absolutely pathetic. Hiding in the dirt, shivering from the cold, overwhelmed by emotions… He squeezed his eyes shut and focused on trying to take even breaths. If he just waited for this storm to pass—

A something rustled behind one of the boxes a short distance from him. He froze, straining to hear another sound. A moment later the box slid aside entirely revealing a figure crouched there. Envy leapt to his feet, instantly on guard. He should have known there’d be someone in here with the broken in door. But he’d been so wrapped up in his own misery it hadn’t even occurred to him. The figure slowly straightened up. He couldn’t tell for sure with the light coming from behind them, but their figure appeared female.

“Well, well, well…you look like a drowned rat,” The all too familiar voice made his stomach turn with an old hatred.

“Dante,” He hissed menacingly. She tisked lightly.

“Now Envy, is that any tone to take with your mother?” her voice was mocking.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, taking a threatening step towards her. She appeared unfazed.

“I’m just taking shelter from the storm; although I should really be asking you that. How did you get back from the other side of the gate?” She asked.

“What’s it to you?” He snapped, her condescending tone feeding his anger, “You’re finished you old hag. The stone is gone, and I can smell that carcass you’re wearing rotting from all the way over here,” He wrinkled his nose, “I can’t decide if I should let you rot away slowly, or kill you right here and now,” He sneered, feeling a flicker of his old self coming back. She’d been ordering him around for years. Human body or not, he would enjoy making her scream.

“And just how do you plan on doing that Envy? Seeing as you’re just a helpless human, while I still possess alchemy,” She smirked when his eyes widened in shock, “What, did you think I wouldn’t notice? It’s painfully obvious. Just look at yourself. You’re pathetic,” she chuckled mockingly. Envy’s fists clenched, quivering with rage.

“You _bitch!_ ” He snarled, lunging toward her. Dante smiled smugly, clapping her hands together. There was a flash of alchemic light and a stone fist smashed into the green haired teen, sending him flying across the warehouse and crashing into a pile of old equipment. He let out a cry of pain as agony tore through his right shoulder. His vision grew hazy for a moment, as his entire body vehemently complained about the rough treatment.

“Uh-oh, did Envy get hurt? Better be careful or you could bleed to death. That wound won’t heal shut right away you know,” Dante’s voice dripped with false concern as she approached where he’d fallen. Envy gritted his teeth, glancing down at his shoulder to see a sharp metal rod had run clean through it. Crimson liquid spilled out around the wound, a dark stain spreading in the material of his shirt. Elsie’s Dad’s shirt… guess he wouldn’t be wanting it back... Envy scrunched his eyes shut against the pain. What the hell was that thought doing in his head at a time like this? He had to do something quickly.

“I could just let you bleed to death, or I could kill you now,” Dante sneered, “Weren’t you just saying something similar to me? Well, I think I’ll let you suffer. Even if you don’t die it’ll be a fitting punishment. Envy, the only homunculus with no desire for humanity, is the only one now stuck in a human body,” She laughed, “Forgive me but the irony is hilarious,” an unattractive smirk played across her lips. Envy tried to focus his thoughts past the pain. He wasn’t the only homunculus stuck as a human. Wrath was too. Not that that really mattered right now.

“You’ll…pay…for this,” He gasped, glaring up at his onetime mother.

“Oh Envy, I think it’s about time you faced reality. You won’t be making anyone pay for anything. Ever. Again. Accept it, you’re _finished_ ,” She threw his own words back at him as a final taunt. Then she turned with a superior smile and strolled out of the warehouse, transmuting an umbrella for protection against the storm.

Envy stared after her, every fiber of his being raging against her final statement. She was wrong. He was far from finished. This wound was nothing compared to injuries he’d suffered in the past! Reaching up he grasped the metal rod firmly and yanked it out of his shoulder. He collapsed forward with a yell. Dammit all to _hell!_ Pain was more intense in this body than he remembered it being before. He could feel warm liquid spilling down the right side of his chest and back. If the bar and driven through him any lower the injury could have been fatal. As it was, if he didn’t stop the bleeding soon he was going to pass out and possibly die anyway from blood loss. This was not where he wanted to die, and it certainly wasn’t _how_ he wanted to die.

With a feral growl he grasped the material of his shirt with his good hand and ripped it, buttons popping and scattering in the dust around him. His breathing was labored from the pain and his vision was growing fuzzy. He had to do this fast. Awkwardly, he began to wind the now torn shirt snuggly around his shoulder, clenching his teeth and hissing as it tightened against the wound. He fiddled with it and managed to tuck in the end in such a way that it held in place. This was so unbelievably inconvenient. How had humanity survived for all these years with such horribly inefficient healing abilities?

Slowly and carefully he rose to his feet, staggering slightly from a wave of dizziness. When he felt sure he could walk without toppling over, he made for the door. It was still raining heavily but the hail seemed to have lessened. He didn’t want to stay in this place. Dante could always change her mind and come back to finish him off, and he was no fool. Right this second he didn’t have a hope in hell of defeating her. Not with this much pain clouding his mind. He’d have to find another place to weather out the storm. Pausing in the doorway, he braced himself. The rain was still beating down hard enough that it was difficult to see. Well, he most definitely _wasn’t_ made of sugar, so he wasn’t going to melt. Taking a deep breath he plunged out into the deluge, hunching his shoulders against the wind and staggering determinedly down the street.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been pushing against the elements. Wind gusted and whipped stinging sheets of rain against him. His body was wracked with shudders from the biting cold, and his shoulder was a mass of throbbing pain. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt quite this miserable. The strength in his legs was slowly draining away. He had to find somewhere to take shelter before he collapsed on the road. There appeared to be a rundown looking hut not far down the street. The windows were boarded up which lead him to believe the place was abandoned. He stumbled up to the door, trying the handle and finding it locked. He clenched his teeth, gathering his remaining strength and threw his good shoulder against the door. The old wood splintered and the door flew inward. He staggered and barely avoided going sprawling on the floor of the hut.

He heard the scrambling, flapping sound of several pigeons startling into flight. It was a small, two room dwelling. It had obviously been left empty for some time, as a thick coating of dust rested on everything. There was an old broken chair in one corner, and the usual mess left behind by feathered squatters. He plodded exhaustedly into the next room. It had what was left over from a onetime kitchen, and an old wooden bench against one wall that appeared to be still intact. This would have to do for now. At least he was out of the wind and the rain, and the place seemed truly deserted unlike his last place of shelter. Still, he didn’t want to be surprised. He turned back into the front room and pushed the rickety old door shut. He shoved a thick splinter of wood underneath the bottom of it to wedge it in place. It wouldn’t hold against an intruder but at least he’d hear them coming.

He dragged himself back to the bench in the other room, collapsing down onto it in exhaustion. Every bone in his body seemed to ache from fatigue and cold. He glanced down at his shoulder and noted that the soaking wet bandage was stained with blood. Well, he hadn’t passed out yet so that had to be a good sign. He let out a sigh, resting his head back against the wall. He honestly couldn’t see how things could get much worse. The injuries and cold and fatigue would all be easily bearable if he knew there was some way to get back to the way things used to be. But there wasn’t. He was human now. No amount of alchemy in the world could change him back to what he’d been before…not without a philosophers stone in any case. The old hag had been right. He really was finished. It didn’t matter if he survived and took revenge. He’d be forever stuck as a worthless weakling. It would’ve been better if he’d died like he supposedly did in the story Elsie had shown him. He closed his eyes and felt several drops of warm liquid slide down his cheeks…. How much farther could he possibly fall?

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Elsie squinted through the pouring rain, trying to figure out which street to turn down.

 _“He’s to our right somewhere,”_ Al told her.

“That’s nice, but _which_ right?” she wiped water out of her eyes, glancing at the street as well as the two alleys, all leading in virtually the same direction. 

_“I’m not sure…the feel of his location isn’t that exact,”_ Al sounded a little sheepish. Elsie sighed. She was soaked to the bone already. Hopefully they could get this over with quickly.

“Let’s try the street first,” She said, heading forward down the pavement. It seemed less risky than the alleys. Although there didn’t appear to be anyone else out in this downpour. Apparently most people had common sense. She splashed briskly through the puddles, glancing around expectantly.

“Any helpful advice?” She asked. She could see a T-junction up ahead, meaning she’d be diverted from the direction she wanted to be going in.

 _“Well I still sense him straight ahead somewhere. I think he’s still a few blocks away though,”_ Al replied. Elsie glared at the T-junction, coming to a halt briefly. Well there was no helping it. She turned left.

This street was narrower and the road more cracked and uneven. The rain was lessening slightly so it was easier to make out the buildings on either side of her. The Old District of Central City wasn’t the nicest place. Everything seemed rather run down and decrepit. This road didn’t run straight. It curved and twisted through the mass of old shops and warehouses on either side of her. Well sheesh. Envy could be in any one of these places. She hoped Al’s sense was accurate enough to pinpoint which building he was in, or this was going to take a long time. Of course, that was assuming he was actually in a building…

Coming around a corner she noticed a guy slouched against a wall not far down the road. The collar of his long, dark jacket was turned up, hiding his face. Elsie stared at him uneasily. The closer she got to him the more details she was able to make out. The patched, worn condition of his coat, the shaggy dark hair, soaked from the rain. She generally tried not to be judgemental, but she was getting bad vibes from this guy and she was alone with him. Well…maybe she was just being a bit paranoid. She’d just stick to the other side of the street and walk quickly past him. Fixing her gaze straight ahead she sped up her pace.

She was just about to let out a sigh of relief as she passed him without incident, when she caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye. She heard Al make an urgent exclamation in her mind. She turned and yelped as the guy lunged at her, snatching at her sweater and shoving her off balance. She staggered into the wall, head cracking firmly against it as the man closed a hand around her throat. Why did this seem so familiar? He brought his face close to hers, his breath smelling heavily of liquor. His cheekbones stood out alarmingly and his eyes were bloodshot. This guy was _not_ healthy.

“Name your price slut,” His voice was rough and slurred from alcohol, “I’ve got the perfect place we can go back to,” Elsie’s eyes widened in shock. Did this guy think she was a _prostitute?!_ Hell, it wasn’t as if she was dressed like one! Unable to loosen his grip on her throat she spat at him. He made an angry exclamation and backhanded her across the face. She gasped in pain, tears springing to her eyes.

“Why you little bitch,” He hissed. Her brain finally kicked into gear and she kneed him in the groin as hard as she could manage. He doubled over with a grunt of pain, releasing her. She tried to bolt but he recovered much faster than she’d expected and snatched at her sweater again. She jerked and twisted, abruptly slipping out of the wet material and going sprawling on the stone pavement, scraping her arms as she caught herself. He leapt down on top of her, tearing at her soaked tank top. She shrieked and kicked desperately at him. He grunted as one of her kicks squarely made contact. Grabbing her shoulders he pinned her to the ground, his face bearing down towards hers again. With a yell she jerked forward and smashed her head against his face, feeling the crunch of his nose as it came into contact with her skull. Her head spun from the force of the impact and he cried out in pain, jerking away from her as his hands rose to cup his injured face. She scrambled to her feet and bolted.

She couldn’t remember ever running so fast in her life. She was definitely flying along faster than when they’d been escaping the hospital staff. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute and her breathing was rapid, adrenalin pumping through her veins. She darted around several turns, taking different streets blindly without much thought, just as long as she got away from that guy. That had been far too close. She’d never considered the possibility of running into a situation like that. That could have turned out horribly. She had to find Envy as soon as possible. There was a chance he might kill her, but at least he wasn’t likely to _rape_ her!

When she finally slowed to a halt she found herself in the middle of a wide street. It was as deserted as most of the other streets she’d raced down, which was just as well. She was shaking from head to toe, and very out of breath. She felt a building pressure behind her eyes and fought back the urge to start sobbing. She’d never been shaken up like this before. 

“Dammit Elsie, get a hold of yourself,” She muttered, wiping water off her forehead. Her cheek was beginning to throb as the adrenalin wore off, and she could feel her scraped arms stinging.

 _“Are you ok?”_ Al’s voice sounded quite concerned.

“Where were you?” She demanded. He’d been utterly silent through that whole ordeal.

 _“I didn’t want to distract you. I can’t believe he did that,”_ He sounded disturbed.

“Yeah, well, apparently there’s just as many human creeps in your world as there are in mine,” Elsie sniffed, pulling herself together again. She had to get moving. For all she knew there were more guys like that that could find her if she stood around too long. “Can you sense where he is?” She asked, straightening up and peering through the rain.

 _“Just a couple blocks away I think. Turn down that street by the old tailor’s shop,”_ Al directed.

Elsie made for the road he’d pointed out to her. The rain started coming down harder again and she began to shiver uncontrollably. This reminded her of a time a few years back when the vehicle had run out of gas just outside of town. Neither she nor her mother had remembered to bring cell phones. They’d had to walk all the way into town in a pouring rain storm. It had been pretty cold and miserable. But when they finally got home they’d turned to look at each other and her mom had started to giggle. The next thing she knew they were both laughing uncontrollably while they stood creating puddles in the entrance way. The whole situation was so absurd it was somehow funny. Then her mom had made hot chocolate and they’d curled up on the couch with blankets to get rid of the chill...

 _“Hey, why are you crying? Is it because of that guy?”_ Al sounded sympathetic. Elsie blinked. She hadn’t even realized tears had started streaming down her face. Why bother stopping it? She was in the pouring rain; the hot tears just mingled with the cool water already covering her. Several small sobs made their way out. She sniffed.

“No…it’s my mother,” She whispered shakily.

 _“Do you miss her because she’s left behind on the other side of the gate?”_ Al asked.

“She died,” Elsie’s voice broke, “and it’s my fault. I should have been there for her and I wasn’t,” there was silence in her head for several minutes. She continued pressing forward down the street, hugging her arms around herself in some attempt at holding in warmth. The crushing weight and hopelessness was gone, but the sharp edge of grief was still there inside her. The gate hadn’t taken that away. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to forgive herself.

 _“She wouldn’t want you to blame yourself you know,”_ Al said finally. Elsie frowned. _“I know I don’t know you, or your mother, but I can’t believe she’d want you beating yourself up forever. If she’s like any of the mothers I’ve known, she’d want you to be happy and move on with your life,”_ Al said gently. Elsie clenched her teeth to hold back another sob. Maybe he was right. But she couldn’t bear to think about it right now. She had to refocus herself on the task at hand.

“Where do we go next?” She asked, changing the subject. Al sighed softly.

 _“If you ever want to talk about it, I’d be happy to listen. We lost our mother too, so I can understand what you’re going through,”_ He told her. Elsie nodded numbly. Yeah. Not only had they lost their mother, they’d failed to bring her back and then had to kill the copy they’d created. She felt grief stricken as it was. She couldn’t imagine going through what they had went through. Especially given that now it was apparently real. _“Turn left. I don’t think he’s too far from here. Maybe a block away,”_ Al said. Elsie obeyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Envy. He's not having a good day. Neither is Elsie lol.  
> Those of you patiently waiting for some EnvyxOC, you'll get a little taste of it next chapter. The whole thing is interplay between Envy and Elsie. :P  
> Goodness it's taking me a while to get these chapters uploaded. Sorry about that. It's just time consuming having to go through and add all the html tags for words in italics and such.


	13. Playing With Fire

The rain was finally starting to ease off to a drizzle. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this chilled to the bone. Her clothes were literally sopping wet. She glanced down at her tank top and cringed. If she hadn't looked prostitute-ish before, she did now. The thin, light colored material was nearly translucent and clung to her skin. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Thank heavens she was wearing a bra.

 _“That little house up there,”_ Al said, _“I think he’s in there.”_

The house was more of a rundown hut. Elsie nodded, feeling abruptly nervous. A part of her said she should just turn around and get the hell out of there. There was no way he was in a good mood. In the anime his foul tempers had been amusing. In person, they were suddenly a terrifying prospect. She gulped. Well, at least he couldn’t run his arm through her. No, he could just stab her with some other sharp object... She groaned softly. Well there was no helping it now. She was here. Better Envy than that creep that had attacked her.

Bracing herself, she slowly approached the hut. The door was shut but it looked like it’d been broken open at some point. The windows were boarded up, so she couldn’t peek in and see where he was. She contemplated knocking or calling him, but she very much doubted he would answer. She drew in a deep breath and pushed the door open. It gave slight resistance before it popped loose from whatever was catching it and swung inward. The interior was dimly lit from cracks in the boards, and it smelled potently musty. She couldn’t see anyone, although there was a second room which she could only see part of from where she was standing.

 _“He’s in there,”_ Al answered her unspoken question. Elsie shivered. This sucked.

“En…vy?” her voice was pathetically quiet. Of course there was no response. Trying to keep her already rattled nerves at bay she stepped carefully into the hut. She walked slowly to the door of the other room and paused, holding her breath and straining to hear any sounds. The total silence seemed deafening and only heightened the tension thick in the air. Finally she gathered her courage and stepped into the room, bracing herself for some sort of attack.

It came instantaneously from the right and with her adrenalin already spiked from her last scuffle she managed to dodge out of the way. Except her foot hooked on a loose board and she went sprawling. She whipped around and scrambled backwards, breath coming quick and shallow. She’d managed to dodge him, but now the figure of Envy stood between her and the exit.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He growled, glaring down at her.

“I…came to find you,” She was suddenly grateful for being so cold, as it gave her a less humiliating excuse for her trembling. She reminded herself she had good reason to be afraid, but that didn’t exactly help.

“Obviously,” He snapped, “Why?”

“I-I….” Her mind had gone completely blank. How stupid could she be? She hadn’t even figured out what she was going to say to him. If she up and told him that Ed and Al needed him to come back for a transmutation right off the bat, she would get a guaranteed _no._ But he wanted an answer right now. She was screwed. Then, to her surprise, she heard an exasperated sigh.

“What the hell’s the matter with you dimwit? Get up off the floor. Why are you staring at me like that?” he demanded. She felt a slight prick of relief. He didn’t sound irate, so she took that as good sign. She scrambled painfully to her feet. Her body was beginning to protest the treatment it’d been getting. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the gloom and she realized with a start that Envy was shirtless. His shirt appeared to be wound awkwardly around his shoulder in a makeshift bandage. It looked like it was starting to come loose.

“What happened to you?” she cried in surprise. A bitter expression came over his face.

“Dante,” He spat the name. That was the only explanation required. She frowned thoughtfully. Without even realizing what she was doing she crossed to room to him. He gave her an odd look. “What are you doing?” he asked guardedly. Her brain caught up with her intentions and she cringed inwardly, hoping the ice she was treading on wasn’t too thin.

“Let me fix that bandage,” She demanded. He glared at her. She gulped. Of course he didn’t like being ordered around. “Please?” She asked a little nervously. He stared at her for a minute as if trying to figure out her motives.

“Whatever,” He muttered finally, sounding strangely resigned. He made his way to a bench she hadn’t noticed before and sat down. She followed him, noting with some puzzlement the odd aura of defeat radiating from him. She’d never seen Envy look so…beaten. She reached out and felt at the bandage carefully, looking for the end that was tucked in. Her gaze flicked over the rest of him as she worked. It was surreal standing this close to a character she’d watched for years in a TV show. Not to mention which character he happened to be... She’d never seen him with wet hair before. In some ways it resembled how it looked back in her own dimension. He was more muscular than she’d realized from watching the anime. Not that that caught her attention or anything… More concerning were the newly formed bruises and scrapes she could see mottling parts of his skin. He had to be hurting. She doubted he was use to suffering from injuries for any length of time.

The end of the makeshift bandage came loose in her fingers. She carefully began to unwrap it. She was somewhat relieved it was soaked by the rain since she doubted she’d accidentally rip off any newly formed scabs. A moment later the cloth fell away from the wound and she gasped. There was a ragged hole right through his shoulder! The tissue around it was swollen and crusted with blood, making for a bit of a gruesome sight. That had to be ridiculously painful.

“Would you get on with it already?” he grumbled, staring across the room dully. She nodded numbly. She wasn’t particularly squeamish but that wasn’t what she’d been expecting. There a slow trickle of blood beginning to flow from the uncovered wound. She shook out the shirt and quickly determined where she wanted to tear it. She didn’t exactly have anything to cut it with…she’d have to stand on part of it and rip it. How very sanitary… She managed to get a tear started it in and was able to rip off a large piece. Brushing off the worst of the dust, she approached the wound once more. She just needed to wrap this around it snuggly and then she could use one of the torn off sleeves to tie it closed. Envy held his arm out slightly with a wince and she quickly got to work.

“There. Can you hold this in place for a minute?” She asked, finishing the last of the wrapping. He complied without protest and she grabbed the remaining piece of shirt. Hopefully she had enough strength to pull this off. The shirt was pretty thin anyway. She stood on the larger piece and grabbed a firm hold on the sleeve before yanking as hard as she could manage. There was a satisfying tearing sound as the sleeve disconnected from the rest of the shirt, but this also meant she very nearly went sprawling. She executed a strange, staggering dance until she fell against the wall and managed to catch her balance. She could have sworn she heard a soft snicker behind her. Sure enough, she turned around to see him smirking.

“What?” She demanded.

“Oh nothing… You just reminded me how entertaining it is watching humans make fools of themselves,” there was a bit of the old smugness back in his voice.

“Hey, be nice! I’m helping you,” She retorted, without thinking. Envy’s expression darkened.

“I never asked for your help,” he replied, glaring at her once again. She sighed, making her way back over to him. Good grief he was prickly. He removed his hand from the makeshift bandage and she wrapped the sleeve around it several times before tying it off as tightly as she dared. He winced slightly.

“Sorry,” she murmured, stepping back to admire her work. It wasn’t exactly pretty, but it looked like it would stay in place for a while.

“The pipsqueak sent you after me, didn’t he?” Envy challenged. Elsie’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s what I thought,” He muttered darkly.

“How did you…?”

“How did I know? What, do I look like a complete idiot?” he demanded. Elsie blinked. No… he was missing part of his shoulder. But she figured it was better not to mention that. “It’s something to do with the tin can being attached to you now. He figures Wrath and myself are connected to him now, since we got yanked back through the gate. Correct?” Envy enquired.

“Y-yeah…” Elsie was surprised he’d come to that conclusion by himself.

“I’m not coming,” he said bluntly.

“But—” she began to protest and he cut her off forcefully.

“No!” His expression said he was absolutely determined.

“Why not?” She demanded, frustration filling her. He gave her an incredulous look.

“Do I really have to explain that to _you_ of all people?” He asked.

“Well, I understand your feelings about Ed and Al, but it’s not like it costs you anything to go back and do this!” she could feel her temper beginning to build. Her nerves were already frayed from the events of the day.

“Not like it costs me anything? I could die if the transmutation went wrong! And besides, why the hell would I do anything to help that bastard’s son?!” There was a hard edge to his voice.

“You could die if you _don’t_ do the transmutation!” Elsie shot back. There was no point in arguing with him about Ed and his father. But she had another tactic she could try.

“What do you mean?” He sounded extremely skeptical.

“I was thinking about it earlier. If either you or Wrath dies, Al will die. And if Al’s soul is bonded to me, who’s to say I won’t die too?” she heard Al make a surprised exclamation as if this hadn’t occurred to him before. Envy looked a little startled as well, but quickly recovered.

“So?” he asked, sounding bored. She pushed back a flash of irritation over his total disregard for her.

“So, I suspect the same thing goes for you and Wrath. If Al dies, and part of his soul is bonded to you, what do you think will happen?” It was more of a warning than a question. She had no idea if this was actually true, but it was the only argument she could think to make against him. He stared at her, his expression unreadable. The silence that grew between thickened the tension in the air. She couldn’t force him to come back. And if she didn’t manage to convince him she had no idea what she’d do. Finally he broke eye contact.

“No,” He said flatly. The lack of emphasis behind it startled her. He seemed…really off. She frowned.

“What’s the matter with you?” She was a little puzzled. He seemed almost…listless.

“It doesn’t matter. None of it does,” He muttered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded. This tone and expression were unpleasantly familiar.

“It means that I don’t care,” He snapped, “It doesn’t matter if I die; I’m worthless in this body anyway. Nothing will ever be the same again, and there’s no way to fix it. I might as well be dead,” he sounded bitterly resigned. Elsie’s hands curled into fists. She understood that thought process all too well. _I’m stuck like this forever. There’s no escape. I’m just a worthless waste of oxygen and everyone would be better off if I just disappeared and never came back._ It was a stupid lie. But it was unfortunately easy to start buying in to. 

“You idiot,” She whispered. His head snapped up immediately. “Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” She glared at him. He’d said the same thing to her not that long ago. His eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in anger a moment later.

“What did you say?” He growled.

“How can you say something that?” She ignored his question completely and plowed on ahead, “You aren’t worthless. And just because things are going to be different from now on does _not_ give you any excuse to give up!” her voice was heated.

“Are you lecturing me?” He sounded incredulous.

“Obviously you’re in need of it,” She retorted. He rose to his feet, a dark expression on his face.

“I would shut it if I were you,” His tone was threatening. The thrill of fear it inspired was overwhelmed by the wave of anger that immediately followed.

“ _No dammit!_ I won’t. If I walk away from this and leave you stewing on those thoughts, I’ll likely never see you again. Because you’re rash and impulsive and you’ll probably end up killing yourself. Just like mom,” She hissed. She was shaking from the intensity of the emotion pent up inside her.

“Do you have a death wish? I should tear you to pieces for taking that tone with me,” his voice was low and dangerous.

“Do your worst,” She snapped, “I’ve already been through hell and back.” She seethed at him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this angry. Although she had to admit, it wasn’t just Envy she was upset with... Images of her mother hovered in the back of her mind. Never again. She couldn’t ever let that happen again.

 _“Elsie….”_ Al’s voice was extremely nervous. And then her brain finally caught up with her words. She blinked. …Shit. That was…extremely stupid. It was one thing if it was just her, but she’d just signed Al’s death warrant as well. Envy began to stalk towards her, backing her up till she hit the wall. Despite the fact that he was only a couple inches taller than her, he seemed to loom over her. She tried not to cringe. Dammit he was intimidating… This close she could pick out the different shades of stormy grey in his eyes. He grabbed her chin firmly with one hand so she couldn’t look away.

“You know who I am. And you know exactly what I’m capable of... Are you sure you mean that?” his voice was a dangerous purr that made a shiver run through her. She stared at him with wide eyes. She couldn’t even respond. Her heart was stuttering erratically and she was frozen in place. To some degree she’d meant what she said... She didn’t think physical torture could be that much worse than emotional torture. But that didn’t mean she actually wanted to find out… Envy gave a darkly amused chuckle. “You really should try thinking before you speak,” he suggested dryly, “If you aren’t careful one of these days someone will give you exactly what you’re asking for,” the tone of his words made her shudder. Still, he wasn’t actually hurting her… Maybe she wasn’t in imminent danger of a slow, painful death... She slowly allowed herself to start breathing again. Envy frowned, reaching his other hand up to lay a finger on her swollen cheek. She winced slightly.

“How did that happen?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Some creep attacked me. He thought I was a prostitute,” she muttered. She could have sworn his expression darkened for a moment, but it passed so swiftly she wondered if she hadn’t just imagined it.

“Huh,” he ran his gaze down over the rest of her before letting it return to her face, “Well you can’t exactly blame the guy,” he drawled. Elsie flushed bright red.

“I was wearing a sweater at the time,” She bit out caustically, glaring at the floor in embarrassment.

“Oh, I’m sure that made all the difference,” Envy smirked. Something in his tone gave her a thrill of nerves and she shifted uncomfortably. Why hadn’t he let go of her yet? The proximity was unnerving...never mind her soaked outfit and his lacking a shirt. This was Envy. She met his eyes again uncertainly. They were filled with taunting amusement. Bastard. He was intentionally making her uncomfortable. 

“Would you mind letting go now?” She asked stiffly. He hummed thoughtfully.

“I never did get an answer as to whether I should _‘do my worst’_ ,” He quoted her with dark amusement. Even though she was pretty sure he was just tormenting her at this point, she felt herself tense up again. So he wasn’t just going to let it slide…

“I…would rather…you didn’t,” She muttered, not meeting his gaze. This was humiliating. She really needed to keep her mouth shut... He gave a low chuckle.

“You really are a dimwit, you know that?” he raised an eyebrow, finally releasing her and turning to stroll back to the bench. Elsie glared flatly at him. She was starting to think that was his version of a term of endearment. 

A brief silence settled over the hut. All that could be heard outside was rain pouring down. It seemed like it would never let up. Elsie hugged herself feeling the chill return with a vengeance now that she wasn’t distracted by her possible demise. Envy’s eyes were closed as he rested his head back against the wall. He looked exhausted. When she stopped to think about it, she doubted she had the energy to trek back to the Underground City at this point. Her legs were beginning to complain vehemently and her adrenalin was wearing off faster than before. Why on earth was she so tired? She thought back over the events of the day and realized the gate had showed up and grabbed them in the middle of the night. So not only had the day been stressful for everyone involved, they’d been surviving it on several hours of sleep. Wonderful. This was the absolute perfect recipe to trigger another bipolar episode: Lack of sleep and stress.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Well, what was done was done. This would test whether the gate had truly stripped her of the disorder. She felt her teeth starting to chatter and glanced at Envy again. She didn’t want to broach to subject of his coming with her again; at least, not right now. And from the sound of it the storm was raging as strong as ever outside. Unless Envy physically removed her from the building, there was no way in hell she was going back out there. But she really needed to sit down, and there was enough room for another person on that bench. Not to mention Envy was warm… Fatigue was wearing down her initial inhibitions. He clearly wasn’t the same Envy as he’d been in the anime at this point, or he’d be torturing her right now. Plus, catching pneumonia wasn’t an appealing prospect.

She crossed the room slowly and stopped in front of him. He cracked at eye open questioningly.

“Can I sit with you?” She asked. Both eyes snapped open and he stared at her. He seemed almost…bewildered; like he couldn’t fathom why on earth she’d want to do that. She waited expectantly, hugging herself tighter as the shivering got worse. These wet clothes were awful. She’d almost be better off without them….she registered what exactly that would mean and she felt her cheeks grow warmer. No… wet clothes were definitely preferable.

“…Sure,” He answered finally, sounding a little perplexed. She sat down next to him, savoring the relief as the weight was taken off her sore legs. Fatigue crashed over her like a wave and the next thing she knew she was suddenly having trouble keeping her eyes open. The only thing keeping her awake at this point was the uncontrollable shivering, which didn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Her jaw was starting to ache from the tension of her teeth chattering so incessantly.

Several minutes passed as they listened to the sound of the wind blowing rain against the hut in spattering sheets. A moment later she felt a movement beside her and gasped as an arm slipped around her and pulled her against his side. She went rigid, heart coming to a standstill. That was the last thing she’d expected him to do and she didn’t know how to respond. He sighed in exasperation.

“Would you relax?” He snapped, “Your teeth chattering is getting on my nerves,” his voice was a mixture of tired and resigned. She felt her heart stutter and start pumping again. She couldn’t even begin to process his possible motives. Her brain was too fuzzy from fatigue. She felt herself slowly start to relax. It was impossible not to with the warmth flowing into her from the direct contact with his skin. Her shivering was already becoming less violent. She felt her eyelids beginning to droop and she reluctantly allowed them to close. She was _so_ tired. If he wanted to hurt her he’d have done it by now. She let herself relax completely, leaning into his side. He was so ridiculously warm after standing alone in the cold. She felt a contented sigh escape her lips as sleep pulled her under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, some progression in their relationship. We've entered my favorite half of the story. ^^ The fangirl in me had waaaaaaay too much fun with this chapter lol.
> 
> Since from here on out things start changing and progressing with Envy, I just want to make a comment. To put it bluntly, I hate the speed of the character development in this story. My beta readers thought it was fine. But personally I find it way too rushed. Its just not realistic for the character of Envy to turn into a "good guy", so in my mind I'd like a book twice as long as this one to properly draw that transformation out. But...when I wrote this I had neither the time nor the patience to write a fanfiction that long and so I compromised. I don't think anyone will mind. But I felt the need to mention that.
> 
> Umm, not to say he suddenly turns into a knight in shining armor out of the blue. He doesn't... x'D


	14. Altercation

When Envy finally awoke the sound of rain beating against the roof had ceased. He opened his eyes and realized with a start that the hut was now even darker than before. Moonlight shone faintly through the cracks in the boards. He must have been out for several hours at least. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep but fatigue had obviously gotten the better of him. He felt slightly better than he had earlier. His shoulder’s incessant throbbing had receded to a dull ache for the time being, although he suspected that would change if he tried moving it.

The bundle of warmth nestled against his side stirred slightly in her sleep. He glanced down at her. In the darkness he could only vaguely make out her features. He’d only meant to get her shivering to stop; not to have her fall asleep in his arms...Although he couldn’t really complain at this point. The air was damp and chilly after the storm so the warmth she now radiated was pleasant. Still… it didn’t make any sense to him how she could be so relaxed. She knew now without a doubt who he was and she was obviously still afraid of him. She felt absurdly fragile like this. He could snap her neck in a heartbeat. But despite that, at some subconscious level she must have started trusting him... That was the only explanation he could come up with; even if it was utterly absurd.

His thoughts returned to earlier and a slight smirk pulled at his lips. She was the luckiest girl in the world that he’d been changed by this human body over the last couple weeks, or she would be dying a slow, agonizing death at the moment. After an invitation like that it almost a shame that the idea had lost its appeal... He shook his head. She was an idiot to keep provoking him in that manner. Still, tormenting her afterwards had been amusing. Apparently her similarities to Lust ended with her looks. He hadn’t realized it would be so easy to embarrass her. 

She was definitely livelier now that they’d crossed through the gate; although it remained to be seen whether that was a good thing or not. Having his own words thrown back at him was mildly infuriating. Especially given she might actually have a point… He shook his head slightly. He couldn’t believe she’d bothered to come and ask him to help out the Elric’s. She knew how much he despised them. Her argument about the soul bonds possibly killing all of them if one of them died was somewhat concerning. But he suspected if anyone was in the most danger of that it would be her, since she had the majority of Alphonse’s soul. He frowned. Even so, having part of that boy’s soul attached to him was still an irritation. He suspected that had something to do with how she’d manage to find him. That meant he could be tracked by the Elric’s if he left the soul bonded to him as it was. He couldn’t say that was an appealing thought.

He felt her stir again, clearly starting to wake up. Her eyes flickered open and she slowly processed the situation before snapping upright and pulling away from him. He smirked at the tension he could feel radiating from her. Well maybe she wasn’t completely relaxed around him yet. He let his arm fall away.

“I umm…how long was I asleep?” she asked, sounding slightly embarrassed. He snorted.

“How should I know? Probably a few hours,” the moon outside appeared to be full, its rays illuminating the hut just enough that he could start to make out her expression. She bit her lip, staring at the ground.

“Sorry about that…” She muttered. He gave her an odd look.

“For falling asleep?” he asked. She nodded. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Last time I checked sleeping was a basic human need. I’m not sure why you’re apologizing,” he replied dryly. A puzzled expression settled across her features, as if that wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting. There was a brief silence before she spoke again.

“How is your shoulder feeling?” she asked. He glanced at her guardedly for a moment. A question like that coming from any of his fellow homunculi would be intended as a taunt. But her tone suggested she was genuinely curious about his wellbeing. He wasn’t entirely sure how to react to that. It was confusing and didn’t make any sense. He frowned, wishing he could see her expression more clearly.

“It’s fine,” He replied finally, his tone curt. He rose abruptly and strolled across the room. He felt the sudden need to put some space between them. Her proximity was distracting. These human emotions were impossible for him to wrap his head around. He paced back and forth for a moment.

“Are you alright?” She inquired mild concern coloring her voice. He spun to face her.

“Why do you keep asking that?” He demanded. She’d asked him the same thing back in her world just before the gate had shown up.

“Because I’m worried…?” she sounded a little confused by the question. He glared at her.

“Why do you care?” there was an edge to his voice. He saw her frown.

“I don’t know, because humans care about each other?” She sounded mildly exasperated. He stared at her blankly for a moment. Then he began to snicker. The snickers grew into full out laughter that doubled him over and had a distinctly mocking ring to it.

“Humans care about each other?” He chuckled, “You seriously believe that? In all the years I’ve been in existence, do you know how much pain, and violence and misery I’ve watched humans cause for each other?” He snickered again, “Do you have any idea how wonderfully easy it was to provoke them to it? You are so pathetically naïve,” he sneered. She stared at him with a blank expression for several moments before rising to her feet and walking purposefully out of the room.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” He demanded. When he received no replied he made a sound of exasperation and followed after her. He caught up with her at the door and she turned to face him, a hard mask over her features.

“Maybe I am naïve. But at least I actually care about something other than myself and my own hatred,” She snapped. She turned to head out the door but he clamped a hand down on her shoulder. “Let me go,” she hissed.

“Why?” he demanded waspishly. She glared vehemently at him, but there was something underneath the anger he couldn’t quite lay a finger on... disappointment maybe?

“I can’t believe how utterly stupid I am,” She sounded a little disgusted, jerking out of his grasp and storming out the door.

“Get back here!” He called heatedly. A strange mixture of emotions flooded through him as he watched her walk away. Was that really all he cared about? Who was she to judge what he should give a damn about anyway? He felt the much more familiar emotion of anger rising to the surface and he started after her in pursuit. Upon realizing he was following she broke into a run.

“Leave me alone!” She shouted over her shoulder, sprinting away down the road. With a growl he increased his pace. He’d be damned if he started taking orders from a human girl. His whole body felt uncomfortably sore and each step jarred his shoulder painfully. Never the less he was slowly gaining on her. The moon was bright overhead, providing enough illumination to safely navigate through the streets. She turned down several narrow roads in an attempt to throw him off. Unfortunately for her the tactic led to her own defeat.

He followed her around another turn and felt a thrill of triumph. She’d managed to turn down a dead end street. He slowed to a walk, watching her reach the end and look around a little frantically. The street was closed in by buildings. The back doors into various shops were the only other way out and there was no way she’d be able to break one down quickly enough to escape. She slowly turned to face him, panting slightly from the run and a wary expression on her face. He sauntered towards her, enjoying the flicker of fear in her eyes. It served her right. Did she seriously think she could outrun him? Even in this human body he was still more athletic than she was.

He came to a stop in front of her, staring her down with an irritated expression. To her credit she didn’t cower away from him, but her hands clenched into fists and he could see her quivering with tension. Her obvious apprehension was somewhat mollifying.

“What do you want from me?” She asked tightly. His eyes narrowed. This girl was starting to get on his nerves; mostly because he couldn’t make any sense of her.

“You never answered my question,” He snapped. She frowned, seeming almost at a loss for words. 

“About why I was worried about you?” she asked. When he continued to glare at her she grew exasperated. “I don’t see why that’s so hard for you to understand! I’ve known you for a little while now and you’re injured. It’s a normal reaction,” she sounded a little defensive. He snorted. A normal reaction? Knowing that someone was injured just meant it was easier to take advantage of them. Concern for their wellbeing never even entered into consideration. Then again… this was a human girl he was dealing with, not a homunculus...

“Fine then, if that’s what you want to believe,” he raised an eyebrow, “Then what’s with the sudden volatility?” He demanded, irritation still lingering in his tone. She stared at him in disbelief.

“It’s not obvious?” she demanded. He frowned at her. If it was obvious he wouldn’t be asking… She made a sound of exasperation and raked a hand through her hair. “My reaction,” She snapped, “was because I was actually starting to almost _like_ you until you reminded me what a total asshole you still are,” She glared at him, as if daring him to react to her insult. He stared at her blankly. He was stuck on the first part... A human. Liked. Him...? How the fuck had he let something like that happen? He was humanity’s tormenter, not its friend. Of course, now that he himself was human that complicated everything… Then his brain processed the rest of her statement. _Until you reminded me what a total asshole you still are…_ He felt a smirk twist his lips. So that’s why she was upset. She’d gotten some notion into her mind that he’d changed. Luckily for her, he had. But that didn’t change the way he perceived humanity in general.

A long enough period of silence had passed that the girl was beginning to shift uncomfortably. Finally she swallowed nervously.

“Say something,” she demanded.

“What exactly do you want me to say?” He asked dryly. She looked a little bewildered.

“Well, aren’t you pissed off at me?” She asked. He smiled darkly. This girl was just a sucker for punishment.

“Do you want me to be?” his voice had a threatening edge to it as he took step towards her. She flinched back nervously.

“No,” she sounded apprehensive.

“Then don’t ask stupid questions,” he retorted. She stared at him warily, clearly waiting for a more negative response. He sighed and rested his hands on his hips, surveying her thoughtfully.

“Despite your repeated provocations, you’re still terrified of me,” He pointed out matter-of-factly. She frowned.

“I’m not terrified,” she protested. He raised an eyebrow skeptically. Then without warning he lunged at her, closing the distance between them so they were separated by centimeters. She yelped and jerked away from him, losing her balance and falling backwards onto the cobblestones. He crossed his arms and stared down at her, a superior smile tugging at his lips.

“Not terrified huh?” He asked tauntingly. She glared him up at him, not bothering to scramble to her feet.

“Well you haven’t given me any reason _not_ to be,” She snapped. He raised his eyebrows.

“Haven’t I? If that’s the case, then what reason could I have possibly given for you to start _liking_ me?” He challenged. It was more than a taunt, he was genuinely curious. A look of consternation passed over her features and she looked away.

“Just forget I said anything,” she muttered. There was a brief silence as he stared at her with an unreadable expression. This girl… He sighed. Then abruptly he reached out his good arm, offering her a hand up. She stared at it blankly, clearly at a loss as to his intentions. He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Do you enjoy lying in the dirt?” he enquired, sarcasm lacing his tone. She stared at him suspiciously.

“Why do you care?” she demanded. He gave her a flat look.

“I never said I cared,” he snapped, “Now are you going to get up or not?” she eyed him a moment longer before reluctantly reaching out and taking his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. He released her as soon as she was standing and she brushed some of the grit off of herself before fixing him with a puzzled look.

“You don’t make any sense,” she told him frankly. He snorted. That was rich, coming from her.

“Neither do you,” he retorted. She frowned.

“Why did you come after me?”

“Why did you run off?” He countered, “I thought you were trying to convince me to come back with you?”

“But you said no…” She pointed out guardedly.

“And you’d just let it go that easily? I thought this had pretty big implications for you,” he sounded skeptical. She gave him another puzzled look.

“Well it does…but it’s not like I can force you to come. I should probably count myself lucky you didn’t tear my head off just for asking,” she replied. Envy snorted. So she wasn’t a complete idiot...

“Probably,” he smirked. She seemed a little disappointed by his answer, glancing away.

“So why are you still here?” She sounded resigned. He rolled his eyes.

“Because I’m coming with you dimwit!” At this her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, you are? Why?” she asked in disbelief.

“Well aside from the point you made, I don’t want the Elrics to be able to track me down at a moment’s notice,” He replied, “Not that it’s any of your business.” What he wasn’t willing to admit was that he didn’t have any plan of his own at this point. Before she’d shown up, he’d been seriously contemplating just ending himself. There didn’t seem to be a better option. But her little speech, aside from pissing him off, had brought him to a conclusion. She and countless other humans were able to go on with their pathetic lives despite all the tragedy and misery they’d experienced. They weren’t giving up and taking the easy way out. So he’d be damned if he gave up and proved himself weaker than them.

He was suddenly taken off guard by her abruptly throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He went rigid, staring down at the top of her head, unable to comprehend her reaction. A moment ago she’d been trembling in fear. Why was she…hugging him? She pulled back quickly and stepped away from him, cheeks visibly red despite the moonlight bleaching everything out. She took in his stunned expression and quickly glanced away.

“Sorry… I’m just… really glad you’re coming after all,” she sounded a mixture of embarrassed and relieved, staring at the ground. He continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable. As usual, the odd way this human body responded to her made no sense to him. The shiver at her contact, the increase in pulse…these weren’t feelings he was accustomed to and frankly it puzzled him. It wasn’t a negative feeling but it was unfamiliar and strange. Realistically he should probably be outraged that a human had had the nerve to do that. But instead of anger he was slowly filling with an interesting mix of puzzled amusement. She was embarrassed and flustered now, and he hadn’t even done anything to provoke it. He shook his head slowly. She’d accused him of being impulsive, but from what he’d seen so far she was just as guilty of that charge as him.

“Hey!” the unexpected shout from the road behind them caused them both to jump. Envy spun to see three figures slowly making their way towards them. They looked like the typical unsavory characters that hung around in the old district at night; mainly drunkards, petty criminals and the like. He heard Elsie gasp sharply beside him.

“What’s this? A couple out on a moonlight walk?” one of them jeered. Envy quickly weighed his options. From their voices and unsteady gates they were clearly intoxicated. Taking them down would be a piece of cake. But he hadn’t done much fighting in this body, which put him at a disadvantage. Not to mention his shoulder… The first of the three men hesitated a moment, staring at them with an odd expression. He looked like he’d been in a fight recently, judging by the black eyes and swollen, bloodied nose. Envy eyed the man’s dark coat thoughtfully. He wouldn’t mind borrowing that for the time being… parading around shirtless during the day would attract unwanted attention.

“Hey…you’re the bitch that broke my nose!” the man suddenly cried, pointing an accusatory finger at Elsie. 

“Woah, you mean she’s the girl you were talking about?” One of his comrades asked. Envy blinked in surprise, glancing at the dark haired girl next to him.

“You broke his nose?” he sounded a little taken aback. Elsie nodded jerkily, not taking her wide eyed gaze off the man. “Why exactly?” to say he was perplexed would be an understatement. He hadn’t pegged this girl as the violent type…

“That’s the creep that tried to rape me,” She hissed, shooting a half irritated glance at him. Envy’s eyebrows rose in sudden understanding. He glanced back the guy. So he was the guy who’d bruised Elsie’s cheek… he couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

“What’s so funny?” the man staggered forward several steps, his raised voice slurred.

“Just that you got your ass handed to you by a girl that can’t even fight,” Envy drawled. Elsie made a sound of protest but was cut off by the man’s yell of anger. He charged towards them wildly. Without even having to think about it Envy settled into a fighting stance as familiar as breathing. The rush of adrenalin through his veins was a welcome boost, energizing his tired limbs and focusing his mind solely on the fight ahead of him. Gleeful anticipation flooded through him. Oh how he’d missed this…

“Come and get it,” he grinned darkly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess this is the first actual cliff hanger of the story... With any luck I'll get the next one posted soon. The story is completely finished. I just keep forgetting that I have this story on this site. The only reason I've gotten this much posted is because of the occasional emails I get about comments or kudos which remind me to post a new chapter. *sheepish* Thank you to my two reviewers thus far. ^^ I'm glad you're enjoying it!


	15. Recklessness

The drunken man charged wildly towards the green haired teen, arm drawn back for a punch. Elsie staggered back several steps, extreme apprehension filling her. How could Envy fight with an arm out of commission, on top of lacking any of his usual powers? And he was up against three opponents no less! After all, surely the other two men would back up their comrade. But despite the unfavourable odds Envy was grinning from ear to ear in anticipation. Even though he was supposedly on her side, she couldn’t help but shiver. He looked exactly like his homunculus self with that expression.

The man reached Envy and swung wildly at his head. The former homunculus easily side stepped it, making no move to return the blow. He dodged several more punches in a similar manor, moving in an effortless dance with the furious man. As Envy dodged another poorly coordinated punch the man let out a howl of rage and threw himself recklessly at the teen. Moving with an uncanny speed and agility Envy darted around him, leaving the man grasping at air as he staggered forward. When he swung unsteadily around in search of his opponent Envy delivered a resounding round house kick to the man’s already injured face. With a grunt the man staggered backwards into the wall before collapsing, apparently unconscious.

_“Doesn’t look like being human has slowed him down too much,”_ Alphonse commented. Elsie blinked. It had all happened so fast. Clearly Envy was quite capable of defending himself. But there were still the other two men to be reckoned with.

One of them dashed forward swiftly, demanding Envy’s complete attention. This one was faster and more accurate. Either he was less intoxicated or more experienced with hand to hand fighting... or both. Envy managed to dodge the first two punches and then bent backwards with an impressive show of flexibility to dodge a kick. Using his momentum he continued moving backwards, springing off his hands to deliver a kick to the man’s chin. He flipped all the way back, landing on his feet before collapsing to his knees with a gasp of pain. Apparently he’d forgotten to spare his injured shoulder. Elsie took a half step forward in alarm. His opponent was already recovering from the kick and coming back for more. She clenched her teeth in frustration. Envy had been right when he said she didn’t know how to fight. There really wasn’t anything she could do, aside from get in the way. But the guy was almost on him again.

“Envy!” She yelled. Envy’s head snapped up and he managed to leap out of the way of the oncoming attack. He staggered to his feet and went on the offensive, driving forward with a series of kicks followed by an unexpected punch from his good arm. The man skipped backwards, dodging the kicks and managing to block the punch at the last second. He latched onto Envy’s arm and jerked him around, causing him to stagger away to catch his balance. Envy turned on the man with a growl continuing his attack, however now his back was exposed to the remaining ruffian at the end of the ally.

Then everything seemed to slow down as Elsie watched the third man dash forward, a flash of steel in the moonlight indicating he was armed. At the same time Envy drove in close to his opponent, kneeing him in the gut. Despite the disabling effects of having the wind brutally knocked out of him, the man managed to grab hold of Envy’s hair, yanking it hard as he fell backwards, pulling the teen down on top of him. As he landed Envy drove his elbow into man’s chest, using the momentum of his fall to increase the force of the blow. As the man gave a pained cry Envy delivered a final blow to his temple, causing the man’s eyes to roll back into his skull as he too lost consciousness. But now the third attacker was almost on him. Elsie gave a terrified cry but it was too late; there was no way he’d be able to dodge in time. And she couldn’t do a damn thing…except get in the way.

_“Elsie…wait a sec!”_ Al sounded almost panicky.

The next thing she knew she was dashing forward. There wasn’t any time to wait and think it over. She threw herself at the man, taking him off guard with a full out tackle causing them both to tumble to the ground in a heap. She found herself on top of him and acted on impulse, hammer fisting his face as hard as she could. Unfortunately she caught his cheekbone instead of his nose. He gave an angry exclamation and lashed out at her with the blade in his right hand. She jerked back, feeling it slice through part of her tank top and leave a shallow gash below her ribs. The shock of the pain made her yelp, rolling to the side and scrambling away from him. He was quite a bit faster and stronger than her however. He grabbed her leg and threw himself at her, crushing her into the ground. A hand came down over her throat, pinning her down as she saw the flash of his knife. Well shit! This wasn’t how she wanted to die. Why did people find fighting fun? It didn’t seem to be anything but terrifying and painful…

“Envy!” she gave a strangled cry. 

As the knife flew towards her its progression was abruptly halted by a hand grabbing the man’s wrist. It twisted harshly causing her attacker to cry out and drop the weapon. The next thing she knew the man was yanked off of her. She heard the sound of a brief scuffle and another pained exclamation before someone collapsed to the ground. Drawing in a shaky breath she tried to push herself up. Her arms were shaking so badly she nearly collapsed in the process. The combination of fear and adrenalin had her quivering like a leaf.

_“I can’t believe he actually saved you,”_ Al sounded a little shaken up, _“How could you be so reckless? We almost just died! You’re as bad as brother…”_ She felt a prick of guilt. She’d told Ed she’d be careful and not let anything happen to his brother. This was the second time she’d blatantly ignored that promise.

“I’m sorry Al,” She murmured. Damn. She needed to start thinking things through a little more before her luck ran out. With a sigh she surveyed the scene around her. The three attackers were scattered in the ally unconscious. Envy was crouching in front of the dark haired one that had attacked her the day before. She frowned, trying to figure out what he was up to. Working one handed he managed to strip the long jacket off the unconscious man before straightening up and swinging it over his own shoulders. Despite its slightly ragged appearance Elsie had to admit it suited him better than its previous owner.

Envy turned and strolled back towards her, stopping in front of her with an unreadable stare. She swallowed nervously. She wasn’t getting happy vibes off of him.

_“I think you made him angry,”_ Al commented his voice resigned.

“Get up,” Envy ordered sharply. She gathered her frayed nerves and managed to scramble to her feet unsteadily. The next thing she knew he was in her face, his hand around her neck, more to hold her in place than strangle her. Yep. He was pissed off.

“Why did you interfere?” He hissed, eyes blazing. She tried not to cringe. But if looks could kill she’d be pretty seriously injured at the moment…

“He was going to kill you,” she pointed out.

“How is that any of your concern?!” He snapped, “Why the hell would you go and get yourself killed on my account? Just how stupid are you?” He demanded. She felt her temper flare.

“I didn’t think it over, alright? Besides, he didn’t kill me!”

“Only because I stepped in! And then you have the nerve to ask for my help after getting yourself into a situation you know you can’t handle…” He growled, glare darkening. She felt herself glaring back at him. If she pointed out that she’d likely just saved his life so he should back off, he’d snap. Getting saved by her was probably a serious blow to his pride. Gratitude wasn’t something she was going to get. In fact, she was lucky he’d stepped in and stopped the guy from killing her in the first place.

He abruptly released her, stalking away and beginning to pace up and down. Elsie watched him uneasily. What little strength she had left was draining away with the adrenalin as it slowly fizzed out. Suddenly just staying standing was a challenge. Every muscle in her body felt weak and shaky. She didn’t really have the energy to be dealing with an aggravated Envy. Finally he spun to face her again.

“You know that you can’t fight. So why?” he demanded, “It makes no sense!” Elsie let out a sigh.

“Well if you’d died I would have ended up alone with those two creeps... But honestly, I didn’t think it through that far. I just didn’t want you to die,” She stated bluntly.

“Why do you care?!” He sounded like he was at his wit's end. Elsie made a sound of exasperation.

“Why is this such a big deal to you?! Ok yes, I care about you. I care about a lot of people! I get that you’ve probably never cared about anyone before, and I realize you probably don’t give a damn about me, but caring isn’t an equivalent exchange thing! It just happens, whether you mean for it to or not. You don’t care because you expect to get something out of it. In fact, a lot of the time caring about people winds up hurting you. But you do it anyway. It’s just the way it is,” she explained, tiredly raking her bangs out of her eyes. “I don’t know why I care about you dammit! I shouldn’t. For the most part you’ve just been a jerk. But I do. So can’t you just leave it at that?” she asked. She could feel herself swaying slightly from fatigue. She really needed to sit down…

Envy stared at her. He seemed to be at a loss for words. She couldn’t really blame him. Caring likely wasn’t something that had ever entered into his world view. However, while he made up his mind about how to respond, her legs made up their mind about sitting. Her knees buckled and she sat down hard in the dust. She felt oddly numb and was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight. She heard him make a startled exclamation.

“Hey… you’re bleeding!” Maybe it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn he sounded a little concerned. She winced, her attention being brought to the sharp burning pain across her torso. She’d completely forgotten about it until he pointed it out. Glancing down she felt a thrill of shock to see a large red stain spreading across the front of her tank top. The wound couldn’t be that deep, it didn’t hurt enough. But the blood looked dramatic. 

Envy crossed the distance between them, crouching down in front of her. She gasped in surprise as he reached out and pulled up the front of her shirt.

“Hey!” She protested, grabbing his wrist to keep him from pulling it up too far. He gave her an unenthused look before focusing his attention on the wound. It was about five inches across, just under her left ribcage. He poked it lightly, causing her to wince.

“Well I don’t think you’re in danger of bleeding to death,” He muttered. He released the fabric of her shirt, sliding his hand out of her grasp and sitting back on his heels. “You’re an idiot,” he informed her irritably, “Now I have to find you something else to wear.” Elsie sighed.

“I can just borrow the other guy’s jacket,” She motioned to one of the passed out men.

“It’ll be too big for you,” he grumped.

“So?” she stared at him tiredly. He rolled his eyes.

“Whatever,” he rose to his feet, “You’ll need a bandage for that, or you’ll get blood all over the jacket too,” he pointed out, making his way over to the second ruffian. Elsie glanced around and her gaze landed on the knife the third attacker had dropped. She crawled over and grabbed it. She wasn’t entirely sure what to use for a bandage…who knew what sort of filth was on their attackers’ clothing? Glancing down at herself she grimaced. If she was going to be wearing a jacket, she might as well finish the job the knife had started earlier. She grabbed hold of the fabric and used the knife to gingerly continue the slice all the way around the shirt. Her hands were shaking, making the task a little hazardous.

_“Are you ok?”_ Al asked.

“What do you think?” she muttered sarcastically under her breath. She wasn’t dead and she wasn’t depressed. Aside from that, she couldn’t come up with anything positive about her current situation. She finally finished the slice, the lower half of the tank top falling off in her hands. With that for material she was able to fashion a thin bandage to cover the wound. It would probably bleed through in a little while, but it was better than nothing. 

She jumped slightly when a jacket dropped to the ground in front of her. She hadn’t noticed Envy’s approach.

“Put that on,” his ordered sharply, “We need to get moving before these guys wake up,” his voice clipped from irritation. Elsie flinched. Even though what he said made perfect sense, something in his tone struck a nerve. His attitude was really starting to bother her. He was just being himself. She couldn’t expect anything different from him. But at the moment she just wanted someone to give her a hug and reassure her everything would be ok. And there was no one left in this world or her own that cared enough about her to do that.

She’d never felt so utterly alone. At least back at the ward she’d had her mother to come home to. There had always been a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. Eventually someone would be there to comfort her and help her get through the worst of her problems. But now that was gone. She had no idea where her life would be going from here on out… She could feel the familiar old lies trying to slip back into her mind. Dying would fix everything. Permanently. And no one would even care… She shook her head slightly. As long as Al was still inside her, dying wasn’t an option. Right now she had to focus on getting him back into a body of his own…

_“Hang in there. We just have to get away from here and then we can rest,”_ Al said gently, sensing her distress. Elsie bit her lip, nodding slightly. She was such a hypocrite. Just hours ago she’d been lecturing Envy about not giving up. And here she was already considering it herself... Gathering her remaining strength she staggered to her feet. She grabbed the jacket and pulled it on. It was definitely too big for her, the rough, brown material hanging baggily to mid-thigh while the sleeves fell past her fingers a good six inches. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of liquor and cigarettes radiating from it. At least it was still warm from its previous occupant. Pushing up the sleeves, she turned and followed after Envy who had already begun walking away.

He led her down several more streets. She couldn’t tell if he had a destination in mind or not. If he did she hoped it wasn’t far off, because she wasn’t sure how much further she could go without collapsing and going to sleep in the middle of the road. Fear, adrenalin and shock were really draining. And she’d been tired and short on sleep to begin with. Then again, so had Envy and he’d been the one fighting. Surely to heavens he was nearly as tired as her... She couldn't help but wonder if his shoulder had started bleeding again from the fight. The jacket prevented her from seeing if the bandage was still securely attached... But she wasn’t about to ask him about it. He’d just bite her head off for caring.

Finally he slowed to a halt. They had turned down a worn foot path that led past a number of small shops. They were close to, but out of sight of, one of the main roads running through old district of Central. Elsie stared at his back, noting his breathing was still slightly laboured. He probably felt awful. Not that he’d ever admit that.

“Can we stop for a bit?” She asked tiredly. All she wanted to do was sit down and go to sleep against one of the buildings. He glanced back at her.

“I thought you wanted to take me back to the pipsqueak?” He still sounded annoyed. Elsie let out a resigned sigh.

“In the morning maybe, assuming you’re still willing to come,” she half expected him to get fed up with her and storm off before they actually managed to find Ed.

“Why are you delaying? I thought this was important,” he turned to face her, his tone petulant. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. He seemed to want to pick a fight, which wasn’t something she had the energy for at the moment.

“Look,” she fixed him with a flat stare, “Ed’s probably on the other side of the city at this point.”

_“Pretty much,”_ Al confirmed.

“Maybe you have the energy to spend the rest of the night walking there, but I don’t. I’m not as strong as you and I probably never will be,” She said bluntly. Then she turned to the building next to her and leaned back against it before sliding down to sit on the cold cobblestones, “So if you want to keep going you’ll have to carry me or go without me,” she closed her eyes a moment, resting her head on the brick wall behind her. Every part of her body seemed to be aching. The cut below her rib was throbbing uncomfortably and she could feel a fatigue headache coming on. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this weak and exhausted. Then again… when was the last time she’d eaten? It had probably been over 12 hours ago at this point, and energy bars and nuts only went so far.

Several moments passed before she heard Envy walk over and sit down beside her. She opened her eyes, a little surprised. So he’d decided to stay after all... She felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. Yes, he was a jerk. But considering who he was he’d been extremely patient over the last while.

“Thank you,” she murmured, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

“For what?” his voice was now more tired than irritable. Maybe calling him strong had mollified him a little.

“For staying,” she closed her eyes again, shifting against the wall to find a more comfortable spot.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he sounded slightly perplexed. She shook her head slightly. Did he really have to ask? When it became clear she didn’t intend to answer she heard him sigh. “I don’t understand you,” he muttered. She felt a slight smile tug at the corners of her mouth.

“Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really not used to writing fight scenes. *sweatdrop*
> 
> Awe! Envy saved Elsie. And then bit her head off lol. Poor girl. He'll be nicer to her in the future! It just takes time. He's still trying to wrap his head around the concept of 'caring'.


	16. Ambush

Wrath was bored. He was sitting on one of the stone steps leading up into the official looking building that housed the library. The early morning sun shone down across the large, paved courtyard. Not many people were up and about yet. The city was strangely quiet after the events of the last few days. The two guards which stood on either side of the large doors weren’t much company. The library was restricted to state alchemists, so Edward had left him out here. He’d been waiting for close to an hour now and his patience was starting to wear thin. There wasn’t anything he could do to help with the research Ed was doing and they wouldn’t be picking up any supplies until after he’d finished looking in to the transmutation... Maybe going for a walk would pass the time. Ed was likely to be in there for a while yet.

With a sigh he rose to his feet. He strolled through the courtyard and out the front gate. The streets were still relatively empty, just the occasional pedestrian or bicycler. He half hoped he’d somehow run into Elsie. Had she managed to find Envy yet? Would he be willing to listen to her? Wrath shook his head. He wasn’t even going to try to figure out how Envy would think or behave. Elsie coming back safely was his main concern. He’d lost everyone he’d ever started caring about and he wasn’t prepared to lose her too. She wasn’t anything like Sloth, but she’d still been nice to him; which was more than he could say for most of the other people he’d ever met. 

The road he was walking down was lined with various stores and shops. Some had been open for some time, but most were just opening their shutters and doors to customers now. More people were beginning to emerge onto the streets as he walked. They seemed warier than usual, gathering in small groups to gossip over the events that had taken place in the city over the last few days. They took little notice over a boy walking about unattended. There were other things to keep them occupied. All save one of them, apparently.

“Hey, wait a minute! Is that you?” Wrath turned at the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the pink haired girl walking towards him. Rose, Ed had called her. She was the one Dante had been keeping with her; the one with that baby… which happened to be in its usual place in her arms. He shifted uneasily as she approached. Maybe he should run while he could…before the child started crying. She reached him a little breathlessly. “What happened? How did you get back?” She asked anxiously, “Where’s Edward?” her voice was still a little hoarse from lack of use. Wrath frowned. He wasn’t sure what terms they were on at the moment. Was it okay to explain things to her? Then again, she’d been friends with Ed as far as he knew.

“He’s in the library researching,” he stated guardedly.

“Whatever for?” she sounded perplexed, “Did he manage to get Al back?” 

“Sort of…” Wrath replied evasively.

“What does that mean?” a frown creased her brow. Wrath sighed.

“His soul came back, but it’s attached to Elsie. Ed’s trying to find a way to attach him to a body of his own,” he explained.

“Who’s Elsie?” Rose sounded puzzled.

“Uh…she’s a girl that got dragged back through the gate with us. She sort of looks like Lust,” This explanation seemed to only confuse her further, but she nodded uncertainly.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” She asked.

“I don’t think so. We’re just waiting for Ed to finish his research and then we can get the supplies he needs. By then Elsie should be back with Envy,” or so he hoped.

“Well, alright… Everyone’s worried about Edward. He should go to Central Command when he’s finished,” she still sounded a little anxious. The infant in her arms began to fuss slightly and she was momentarily sidetracked soothing it.

“I’ll pass the message on to him,” Wrath muttered uneasily, casting a glance around for a quick escape route. There was an alley close to where they were standing. 

“What happened to you and Envy? You were working for Dante…Why are you helping Ed?” She returned her attention to him curiously.

“We aren’t with Dante anymore,” he growled, “And I’m doing this for Elsie, not Edward,”

“I see…” She said uncertainly. The infant in her arms gave a slight squawk and began to fuss more insistently. Wrath eyed it suspiciously. He wasn’t feeling the same panic that usually gripped him. Still, he didn’t feel like hanging around any longer.

“I should go,” he mumbled, turning and darting towards the alley. She called after him in surprise but he ignored her, turning down the narrow path which ran behind the shops.

He finally came to a stop a fair distance into the rather grimy looking alley. He glanced back towards the street and was relieved to see she hadn’t tried to follow him. Perhaps he should head back to the library before he ran into any other acquaintances... Then without warning a stone fist erupted from the wall next to him. He yelped and fell to the ground, narrowly dodging it. Scrambling to his feet he glanced around wildly for his attacker. Another fist grew out of the wall behind him and he took off at a sprint down the alley. Whoever his attacker was, they were skilled with alchemy, and he lacked any means to defend himself. So much for avoiding any more acquaintances… He quickly darted down another alley which branched off of the one he was currently in. After several moments of running he was brought to a screeching halt as an alchemically constructed wall grew out of the ground in front of him. He spun and finally spotted his attacker approaching casually down the alley toward him. It appeared to be a lady in a somewhat ragged purple dress, a white shawl over her head mostly obscuring her face. As she grew closer she pulled the pale fabric away. A gasp escaped Wrath's lips. He almost didn’t recognise her at first, for there were patches of rot mottling her face and neck. But it was Dante.

“Well, well, well…I never realized you made it back too. How is humanity? Everything you hoped it would be?” her voice was caustic. Wrath grew panicky, looking about for a way of escape. The only way out was past the fetid woman. But before he could attempt to dart around her she clapped her hands. Another large hand emerged, this time from the ground, pinning him forcefully to the wall behind him. He let out a grunt of pain and began trying to squirm out of its grip, but it was no use.

“There now, why don’t we have a chat you and I,” she walked up to him and he blanched at the putrid smell that washed over him. He glared blackly at her, refusing to respond. This woman had turned Gluttony into a mindless monster. Not only that, she would have mercilessly torn his own arm and leg off and left him to bleed on the floor of the underground ballroom. “Now,” she rested a hand on her hip, “I overheard your little chat with Rose. Tell me, is it true that Ed attached Al’s soul to someone without killing the soul already possessing the body?” she asked. He continued to glare at her stubbornly. She frowned. “Who is this Elsie girl? The one that’s carrying Al’s soul…You said she went to find Envy?” she let out a humorless laugh, “I’m afraid she won’t find him in quite the condition she last saw him in.” Wraths eyes widened slightly. Had she done something to Envy? Surely he’d be able to take care of himself... “So Al is attached to this Elsie girl… imagine what would happen if she died? I have a score to settle with Edward, and stripping his brother away sounds like an excellent start,” she smirked at the horrified expression which passed over Wrath’s face. “Now, tell me where she is,” She demanded. Wrath locked his jaw stubbornly. It wasn’t as if he knew where she was in the first place. “Answer me boy!” She snapped, drawing near his face. He scrunched up his nose in disgust “It’s almost entirely your fault that the plan was ruined! Death is too lenient a penalty for you. But if you give me the answers I need I promise to make it quick,” The last sentence was sickeningly honeyed. He spat in her face defiantly. She jerked back, her expression contorting with rage.

“Why you little rat,” She hissed, “Fine, why don’t we start by tearing off those newly acquired limbs one by one,” She raised her hands to clap, but another clap beat her to it. The wall next to her suddenly shot out a hand and struck her, causing her to fly backwards and land in an ungraceful heap. Wrath glanced up in surprise to see his rescuer but whoever it was stood in shadow at the end of the alley. Dante appeared to recognise them however, letting out a low oath. She swiftly clapped her hands, causing the ground to rise and bear her up and away over one of the roof tops.

Wrath tried squirming once again as the new figure walked forward. When she came into the light he froze, heart squeezing painfully and stilling in his chest.

“Is it true what she said about you gaining your humanity?” her voice was quiet, her expression grave. Just looking at her was painful. It caused an intense wash of emotions he couldn’t begin to sort out. To his surprise however, the most prominent one was longing. He felt himself nod stiffly. Izumi Curtis sighed and strolled the rest of the way down the alley; stopping to fix the damage Dante’s transmutation had left. When she finally reached where Wrath was held she stopped and stared at him for a time. He looked fixatedly at the ground for several moments before finally allowing himself to meet her gaze. He felt shock creep over him. Her eyes shone a little brighter than normal from unshed tears, and looking into them he saw his own longing reflected back at him from their depths.

“My boy,” she whispered, voice hoarse from controlled emotion. He felt tears springing to his own eyes. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d been missing this woman. This woman that he’d spent so long pushing away. She reached out and clapped a hand to the fist that held him in place, dissolving it so he stood freely on his own two feet. He drew in a breath, glancing up at her to see her intentions. She made no move towards him, only watching him with a pained look of resignation. He took a half step forward, body moving before he had a chance to think.

“Mum…” his voice was quiet and uncertain in his own ears. He saw her eyes widen in shock, before the unshed tears slipped down her cheeks, lips parting but seeming unable to find words. He felt such an overwhelming wash of emotion that he physically wavered. He didn’t understand this. This wasn’t what he’d expected and he wasn’t ready for it. Not yet… He turned and darted past her, racing away down the alley.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Early morning light bathed the winding streets of the old district of central. The shops were just beginning to open and the first of the early risers were making their way through the streets. Envy’s eyes snapped open as one of the shop owners strolled briskly past them. For the second time in the last 24 hours he felt himself propped up against something warm. He raised his head, realizing it had been resting against a dark mop of hair. Elsie’s head was leaning on his shoulder as she slept. His first kneejerk reaction at the uninitiated contact was to shove her away, but he hesitated a moment. The relaxed, close proximity was unfamiliar. But at the same time it was oddly…nice.

With a sigh he rested his head against the brick wall behind him. His shoulder was still throbbing. These human regenerative abilities were truly pathetic. Granted, the fight the night before hadn’t done any favours for it. He frowned. That hadn’t gone exactly as he’d planned. Everything had been fine until that foolish girl had jumped in and almost gotten herself killed. His jaw tightened. He didn’t understand it; _couldn’t_ understand it. Why would she be willing to risk her life for him when she knew he wouldn’t do the same for her? It just didn’t make sense! He glared down at the top of her head. She never seemed to do anything but confuse him. It was starting to grate on his nerves.

“Hey you kids. Move along! I need to open my shop,” a lady’s gravelly voice called from the door not far from where they were seated. Envy rolled his eyes. They might as well get moving anyway.

He gently elbowed the sleeping girl next to him. She stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes before glancing sleepily at him.

“We need to get moving,” he explained, pushing himself to his feet. He staggered slightly and froze. The pain shooting through his legs and arms was shockingly sharp and unexpected. What had happened? Had he somehow injured himself with realizing it? He took several steps, swinging his good arm a little and wincing at the tight aching pain throughout his muscles. Something wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be feeling like this now. Maybe right after a hard fight, but he’d just spent the night sleeping! Was his body malfunctioning? Maybe it was dying on him… had the gate only provided him with a short term body?

“Umm, is everything ok?” Elsie had risen to her feet as well and was giving him a concerned look. Envy pulled his good arm out of the jacket and stared at in in consternation. It didn’t appear injured at all. So why was it hurting?

“There’s something wrong with this body,” he said stiffly, trying to crush down the slightly panicky feeling trying to rise in him.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I think it must be breaking down or something. It’s hurting everywhere for no reason!” He turned to stare at in her frustration. She gave him a blank look for several moments. Then a giggle escaped her lips, which built to full out laughter. Envy was floored. That wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting.

“How is this funny?!” he demanded, his eyes flashing angrily. She managed to smother her chuckles but her eyes still danced with infuriating amusement.

“It’s called being stiff and sore. I guess you would never have experienced that as a homunculus, with the regenerative abilities and all,” She seemed to be having trouble keeping a serious expression.

“This is normal?” His voice cracked slightly. She grinned again.

“Yeah, it just goes with the territory of being human. You were fighting last night and, like all vigorous exercise, that does damage to your muscles. Then your body has to go and repair that damage and make them stronger. But that takes time. You usually start to stiffen up after not moving for a period of time,” She explained, stretching her arms over her head and wincing, “I’m pretty sore too.”

“Well, how long does it last?” he asked incredulously. This was unbelievable. He knew human bodies were fragile, but this was absurd.

“Depends on how much damage you did. The more you move around the less sore you’ll feel. Just keep in mind it’ll probably come back after you sit for a while; at least for a day or two anyway. Carefully stretching helps too. Just don’t push it or you’ll give yourself an actual injury,” she cautioned. Envy scowled. How very inconvenient. This body’s limitations were nearly intolerable.

He turned and walked stiffly away.

“Hey now,” Elsie hurried to catch up with him, “It’s not that bad,” She glanced over at him. He shot her a dark look before focusing ahead down the street.

“Where are we heading?” He asked crisply. He heard her sigh.

“Al says if we get back on that main road it’ll take us out of the Old District. Ed’s on the other side of Central somewhere,” she replied. Envy nodded and turned off the side road onto the street Elsie had indicated.

The streets were beginning to fill up with more people as they walked. There were more than a few unsavory individuals walking about in this part of the city, so he had figured they wouldn’t attract too much notice. Even so, the two of them were getting a lot of odd looks. Possibly from the way they were dressed. He had to admit they were a strange pair. Even with the state she was currently in, Elsie could draw a few looks. But his own appearance was more than enough to draw stares. He hadn’t exactly chosen this form to blend in. His uniqueness had never been a problem before, since he could shape shift into something else whenever it was required. Now that he was stuck like this however, he was beginning to see its drawbacks.

Ahead of them was a couple holding hands. They were staring at each other as they walked, apparently conversing. He couldn’t help but wonder when they would crash into someone. The happiness apparent on both their faces was enough to turn his stomach. He couldn’t recall ever feeling like that himself… The couple suddenly came to a halt as the man bent to kiss the young woman’s lips. The crowed parted around them, Envy and Elsie walking past them on either side. He noticed his dark haired companion shooting a wistful glance over her shoulder at them as they walked away. He shook his head.

“I’ve never understood it,” he commented. She shot him a puzzled look.

“What?”

“What you humans call love,” he clarified.

“Us humans?” she smiled wryly, “Still in denial I see.”

“Shut up,” he muttered.

“But as you were saying… Well, I’ve never been in _that_ kind of love, so I can’t really comment. I loved my mom though…” Elsie trailed off, glancing away.

“What is love?” he asked, skepticism lacing his tone. She blew her bangs out of her eyes.

“That’s kind of complicated,” she replied evasively.

“Try me,” he watched her from the corner of his eye. He’d asked Dante that question once a long time ago. Her answer had been a bitter mockery of human emotion. He was curious to see how a normal human felt about it.

“Well…” She seemed to be trying to come up with an explanation, “There are different kinds of love I think. In my experience love is when you care about another person’s wellbeing more than your own. Their happiness brings you joy, and watching them suffer is agonizing. You feel like you can’t live without them…” she trailed off looking a little pained, thoughts clearly turning towards something she found distressing.

_When you care about another person’s wellbeing more than your own..._ Envy frowned, turning to look directly at the girl walking next to him. Did that mean…? No, that made no sense. He shook his head.

“Sounds like a losing proposition to me. How do you gain anything from that?” he challenged. She gave him an odd look.

“Love isn’t about what you gain; it’s about what you give. It isn’t equivalent exchange,” she told him bluntly, “It’s the ultimate form of caring. And it’s not abnormal to love someone who doesn’t even love you back; although it’s more painful that way,” She explained.

“I don’t get it,” Envy gave her a slightly exasperated look. She smiled sadly.

“You might someday,” She sounded mildly hopeful. He rolled his eyes, fixing his gaze straight ahead once more.

“I doubt it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Envy. You should have a little more faith in your comprehension abilities. Someday might be coming sooner than you think...
> 
> This chapter took me...FOREVER to write. It was a writers block for a while since I had no idea where to take it from here (I didn't exactly plan this story out from start to finish...I kind of just went with the flow as inspiration struck...). So anyway, Wrath and Izumi... I know in the movie they end up reunited in the gate. But man. It was just so sad /.\ so I'm remedying that! To some degree anyway...
> 
> And Dante. No she didn't just disappear after assaulting Envy. The wicked witch of the west is still actively scheming. xD


	17. Reunited

“Hey, are you paying attention?” Ed’s slightly aggravated voice cut through Wrath’s train of thought and he blinked, glancing at the golden haired boy. Ed sighed. “You’ve sure been zoning out a lot today. Did something happen on that walk you went on?”

“No,” Wrath muttered. Images of his rotted former master and his mother, his real mother, flashed through his mind. No way was he going to explain what had happened to Ed of all people. They had just finished picking up various ingredients in a number of stores not far from the library. Edward had brought along several books from the library as well as several packages of chalk and a small tub of paint. They were strolling down a crowded street, the noonday sun beating down fiercely overhead. Wrath growled as a man shoved carelessly past, crashing against the boy as he went.

“Can we get out of this crowd?” Wrath grumbled. Ed rolled his eyes.

“I just finished explaining where we’re headed. Our hotel is just down this road a little further. There’s a large, unused warehouse that belongs to the military nearby. We can lock it up from the inside and perform the transmutation there without being bothered,” he explained, “We can start the preparations today and have it ready for tomorrow, assuming the two of them arrive back today. If they don’t then I’m going looking for them,” he warned. Wrath nodded. For once he agreed with the small alchemist. He’d expected them to be back by now…

As Ed had promised, the hotel wasn’t much farther down the road. However, rather than stopping there Ed turned down a nearby road. This one was thankfully much less crowded and shaded by the tall buildings on either side. Several moments later they arrived at the warehouse Ed had mentioned. It turned out to be a large, grey, brick building with big, metal, sliding doors. The lock on the door was dissolved by Edward with a clap and a flash of alchemic light.

“Here, help me with this door,” Ed said, pulling forcefully at the handle. Wrath obeyed, pushing against the other side of the large handle. After a moment of struggling the door gave a grinding screech and slide open several feet. “There, that’s enough,” Ed said, releasing the handle and slipping into the large building. Wrath glanced around uneasily. Part of him worried that Dante had somehow followed him. He couldn’t see anyone hanging around, so reluctantly he followed after the blond alchemist.

“We can leave the door open for now in case the two of them show up,” Edward said, bending to set his bags on the ground. Wrath followed suit, setting his own bags next to Ed’s. Straightening up, Ed placed his hands on his hips, surveying the large empty space critically. “Well, I think I’ll start with constructing the circle for creating Al’s body first,” Ed said, reaching for a piece of chalk. Wrath frowned.

“I don’t get it. What’s keeping the body you make for him from rotting just like Dante’s body?” he asked.

“That was part of what I was worried about initially. But I believe I’ve found a way around that. Part of why Dante’s bodies always rot eventually is that the bodies she takes over were designed for someone else’s soul. On top of which, she’s forced to leave a piece of her own soul behind in each of her hosts. In Al’s case however, his soul isn’t firmly attached to a body of its own. From what I’ve read it sounds like his attachment to Elsie isn’t so much a connection to her body as it is a connection to her soul. That would explain why he lacks control over her body. I suspect it’s the same with his connection to you and Envy” Edward said, sounding fairly sure of himself.

“So…?” Wrath appeared a little lost. 

“So I believe I’ll be able to separate Al’s soul from your souls without leaving anything behind. It’ll be tricky, but it should work. Then when I create the body I’ll tweak the ingredients a bit and hopefully that will make it stand up better. I’m counting on the fact that it didn’t originally contain a soul so Al will be able to animate it without it breaking down faster than a normal body,” Ed explained.

“Isn’t that dangerous messing around with our souls like that?” Wrath asked warily. Ed nodded grimly.

“It is. If something goes wrong there’s a good chance all of you could die. But we can’t afford to wait long. It isn’t just the risk of you or Envy dying by accident. When I was researching I stumbled across a text that explained the possibility of two souls living in the same body. From the sounds of it those sorts of arrangements can’t last long before the host body breaks down. Body’s aren’t meant to hold more than one soul,” Ed explained gravely. Wrath’s eyes widened.

“So you’re saying if we don’t get Al into a body of his own Elsie will die?” his voice sounded mildly horrified.

“Both Elsie and Al,” Ed confirmed, “I’m not sure how much time they have…maybe a week or two at best. I’m not sure about Al’s connection with you and Envy... There’s only a small part of his soul attached to you so the effects likely aren’t as severe. But it can’t be healthy.” Wrath frowned.

“We should get started then,” he didn’t like the risk this transmutation posed, but there didn’t appear to be any other options. Edward nodded.

“Right. Could you pass me that smaller book there? It’s got the first transmutation circle we’ll need.”

Several hours later Wrath laid down his piece of chalk and straightened up. His neck was sore from crouching over the various lines Ed had given him to work on and the warehouse was heating up with the afternoon sun beating down on it. Ed was lost in concentration as he worked on an especially intricate part of the circle. Wrath sighed. They were barely half way finished. He didn’t understand how alchemists had the patience to always be drawing these circles. His own alchemy had been much more straight-forward.

A noise at the partly opened warehouse door drew his attention. He tensed warily as a petite figure in a too large brown jacket slipped through the door. She glanced over at him and he felt a wash of recognition and relief.

“Elsie!” He called, springing to his feet and starting towards her. He heard Ed scramble up behind him.

“Did Envy…?” the blonde alchemist trailed off as a somewhat taller figure slipped through the door after her. The dark trench coat was new, but his spikey green hair was a dead giveaway.

“You came back,” Wrath was slightly taken aback.

“Yeah, what of it?” Envy demanded irritably. Wrath rolled his eyes. Apparently the teen’s mood hadn’t improved much. He turned towards the dark haired girl and froze. She had unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it off, likely dying of the heat on such a warm day. Her shirt was reduced to a ragged crop top, while a makeshift bandage, crusted with blood, was tied about her middle. There was also purplish bruise spreading across one of her cheeks. The feeling of shock spreading through his chest was quickly replaced by anger. He whirled on the green haired boy, eyes murderous.

“What did you do?!” he demanded darkly, starting towards him.

“Wait!” he felt Elsie’s hands come down on his shoulders, bringing him to a halt, “It wasn’t Envy. He didn’t do anything.”

“Except save your life,” Envy muttered, casting an annoyed glance at the girl. Wrath frowned at him suspiciously.

“Then what happened?” He demanded.

“Well…” Elsie let her hands slide off his shoulders, “We ran into some guys that weren’t very friendly.” Envy snorted.

“How could you let her get hurt?” Wrath demanded, glaring at the older boy.

“Hey, don’t go blaming this on me,” Envy snapped, “I never asked her to interfere. It’s her own damn fault.”

“He’s right,” Elsie backed him up swiftly, “Don’t be mad at him,” she pleaded. Wrath glanced at her uncertainly, not entirely sure he believed her. Envy sighed, slipping off his own jacket.

“It’s too bloody hot to be dressed like this,” He grumbled, letting the dark material fall to the ground. Wrath blinked.

“What happened to you?” He was surprised to see the older boy was injured as well. What remained of his shirt was a bloodied bandage around his shoulder. There was dried blood crusted along his arm and chest as well. Elsie let out a pained hiss.

“You should have told me you reopened your wound during that fight,” She said, her tone accusatory.

“And why is that any of your damn business?” Envy raised an eyebrow at the girl. She gave a frustrated sigh.

“You’re impossible!” she returned the glare, sounding exasperated.

“And you’re annoying,” He retorted.

“Ugh,” She raked a hand through her hair, “You’re such a jerk. I don’t know why I bother worrying about you.”

“Neither do I!” the mix of frustration and bewilderment in the older boy’s tone was somewhat amusing. Wrath raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly had gone on between the two of them over the last day.

“Reopened it? How did you get it in the first place?” He asked, deciding to ignore their bickering. Envy scowled.

“I had a little chat with Dante,” he replied darkly. Wrath’s eyes widened. So that’s what she had meant earlier…

“So Envy,” Edward called, not moving from his spot by the transmutation circle, “Does this mean you’ll participate in the transmutation?”

“Why else would I be here?” the former homunculus demanded curtly. Ed frowned.

“Alright good,” it sounded like he was making an effort to stay civil, “We won’t be ready to perform it until tomorrow, but the two of you look like you could use a chance to clean up and rest for a bit anyway. Wrath, why don’t you take them back to the hotel room? I’ll stay here and keep working on this,” Edward said, crouching down and grabbing his piece of chalk again. Wrath glanced at Envy, wondering if he’d be willing to go along with the golden boy’s suggestion. Envy gave a one shouldered shrug.

“Lead on squirt,” he said casually, scooping up his jacket. Wrath felt a prick of annoyance.

“Don’t call me that,” he sounded somewhat disgruntled as he walked past them towards the door. Envy stared after him for a moment before a slow smirk spread on his face.

“Whatever you say, _squirt_ ,” he replied, following after him. Wrath shot a glare at the older boy but refused to dignify him with a response.

“Elsie,” Ed called. The dark haired girl turned questioningly. “Is Al doing ok?” the worry in his voice was poorly hidden. Elsie smiled.

“He says you should worry about the transmutation, not about him. He’s doing fine,” she replied. Ed nodded, appearing somewhat reassured.

“Alright, I’ll see you later,” he said, returning his attention to the open alchemy book next to him. Elsie drew in a deep breath before snatching up her jacket and following after the two former homunculi.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

The hotel room turned out to be a large, plainly furnished suite in a hotel not far from the warehouse. The worn carpet was a dark cream color while the walls were a wash of light green. Elsie rested her jacket across the back of a well-used armchair in the living room. A small kitchen was in one corner of the room while two bedrooms and a bathroom were located just down the hall. A large window overlooked the busy street outside. They were on the second floor and had a fairly decent view.

 _“Brother must have paid for a larger room than normal so we could rest up when we met up with him,”_ Al commented. Elsie nodded, wondering if the bathroom was equipped with a shower.

“Where’s the squirt?” Envy appeared at the end of the hallway.

“He went to grab us some first aid supplies,” she replied, raking her hair back from her face. It was in a bit of a sorry, snarled state after the events of the last two days. She could hardly wait to rinse off the grit and grime.

Envy strolled out of the hallway and made his way over to the large chesterfield beneath the window. He threw himself onto it carelessly and winced as his shoulder was jostled. Feeling rather worn out from the trek across town, Elsie made her way over and settled into the chair across from him. This was the first chance she’d had in a while to really look at him in the daylight. He still had his signature palm tree hair and a lean build with wiry muscles. But the clothes, or lack thereof in the case of his shirt, added a different twist to his usual appearance. She allowed her gaze to move over him slowly, noting with some concern the cuts and bruises still visible across his chest and arms. Some of those looked deep enough to require cleaning and bandaging. The dark circles beneath his eyes were a new addition to his features. She was sure she was sporting some dramatic ones of her own at the moment. She finally met his gaze. The swirling grey irises suited him better than the purple in her opinion. Not that she had an opinion on him…

He cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly. She blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. Abruptly her cheeks filled with heat as she realized she’d been blatantly checking him out. She heard Al make a curious sound in the back of her mind. Her gaze darted to his injured shoulder.

“How’s it feeling?” She asked hastily, trying to draw attention away from her embarrassment. Judging by his amused expression he wasn’t fooled.

“Peachy,” he replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and rose to her feet, making her way over to the kitchen. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of his gaze following her, she began hunting through the cupboards. “What are you looking for?” He asked. Her fingers landed on a large mixing bowl and she made a sound of triumph, pulling it out to show him. He looked a little puzzled.

“For cleaning up wounds,” she explained, setting the bowl in the sink and starting it filling with warm water. She stared at it a moment, drumming her fingers on the counter. When it finally filled to just over half way she shut off the sink and headed swiftly for the washroom. To her disappointment there appeared to be no shower available to them. It seemed a little unusual for a hotel to lack that, but then again, this was FMA not her old world. She’d have to wash her hair in one of the sinks.

It only took a moment to grab a number of face cloths and hand towels, before returning to the kitchen. She glanced at the bowl in the sink, then over at Envy, then at the living room carpet, then the tiled kitchen floor.

“Can you come over here?” She asked finally, returning her gaze to him.

“Why?” he gave her a skeptical look.

“So I don’t get blood on the carpet and furniture when I clean off your wounds,” she explained. He rolled his eyes.

“Who said I would let you do anything to my wounds?” he retorted. She sighed.

“Envy don’t be absurd. You’re going to get an infection and die a horrible, painful death,” she threatened. He raised his eyebrows but shook his head.

“No,” he sounded rather mutinous. She made an exasperated noise, planting a hand on her hip.

“And what will you do to stop me? Tie me to the chair?” she demanded.

“I’m seriously considering it,” he replied, eyeing the chair thoughtfully. She rolled her eyes, throwing several towels over her shoulder and grabbing the bowl before heading over to the stubborn former homunculus. “What, you don’t believe me?” he asked incredulously as she set the bowl down on the coffee table in front of him.

“Look, if it makes you happier I’m not doing this for you,” she told him seriously. He snorted.

“Then why are you doing it?” he didn’t sound the slightest bit convinced.

“I want an excuse to exercise my rusty first aid skills,” she replied, submerging one of the hand towels in the warm water. He made a sound of disbelief.

Just then the door opened and Wrath slipped inside. He was carrying a large bag of supplies, which he brought over and set down on the coffee table next to the bowl.

“Good timing,” Elsie smiled appreciatively at him, peeking into the bag to examine its contents.

“I found some clothes for you guys too,” Wrath said, holding up a navy blue blouse and a larger dark green shirt.

“Oh, perfect! You’re a life saver,” she told him gratefully. She hadn’t been looking forward to walking around in a ratty crop top for the next day or so.

“Wrath, go find a rope and bring it to me,” Envy ordered him. The dark haired boy raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“He wants to tie me to a chair so I can’t work on his shoulder,” Elsie replied distractedly, pulling out several difference sizes of bandages and gauze.

“How do you plan on doing that with one arm?” Wrath inquired.

“I’m sure I could figure something out,” Envy muttered darkly. Elsie turned to face him once more.

“You’ll feel a lot better with that dried blood washed off,” she pointed out.

“I don’t see how you poking and prodding it will make it feel any better,” He replied sourly. Elsie crossed her arms stubbornly.

“Whether you like it or not, that bandage has to come off and the wound has to be cleaned. I’m not kidding about infection. If you don’t get that looked after you’ll likely end up having to get your arm amputated. Assuming the infection doesn’t spread to your heart and kill you outright,” her voice was blunt, “So what’ll it be?” she demanded. Envy stared at her a moment. He appeared somewhat disconcerted by the possibilities she was spelling out for him. Finally he sighed.

“Whatever,” he scowled childishly at the floor.

“Good,” Elsie replied, taking that as an admission of defeat. She watched him stare darkly at the floor for a moment and felt a smirk trying to creep onto her face at his expression. He appeared to be pouting. Wrath glanced between the two of them.

“I should probably give Ed a hand,” he suggested reluctantly. Elsie nodded.

“We’ll be fine. We won’t leave the hotel room,” she assured him, reaching for the towel she’d left in the water. Wrath hesitated then shot a dark look at Envy.

“Behave,” he told him severely. The older teen’s eyebrows shot up.

“Since when do I take orders from you, squirt?” he asked incredulously. Elsie smiled crookedly.

“Since he hasn’t decided to kill me thus far, I think we’ll be ok,” she told the younger boy.

“You never know. I could always change my mind…” Envy retorted, a hint of dark amusement in his tone. She rolled her eyes.

“We’ll be fine Wrath,” she said, turning her attention to the towel she was wringing out. The younger boy shot a skeptical look at the green haired teen, but apparently deemed it safe to leave to two of them since he turned and made his way out of the room. 

“You’ve sure gotten trusting,” Envy commented as the door clicked shut. He eyed her somewhat warily as she approached with a dripping towel in hand.

“What, should I be worried?” she asked dryly, “I’m just going to lay this over the bandage. Hopefully it’ll soften up the scab so I can unwrap it less painfully,” she explained, resting the warm towel carefully over the makeshift bandage. Envy let out a resigned sigh. Elsie stepped back and gave him a cursory glance. There was a cut along his side, below his injured shoulder, that looked like it could use some attention. Then again, he could probably take care of the various scrapes himself after she finished with his shoulder... She heard Al hum thoughtfully in her mind.

_“Elsie…do you like Envy?”_ He asked curiously. She jumped slightly as if she’d been zapped.

“Wh-what?!” she gasped, feeling her cheeks on fire once again, “What are you talking about?” She demanded. Al chuckled.

_“Oh I see, so you_ do _like him. Isn’t he a bit of an odd person to have a crush on?”_ he sounded curious.

“What on earth would bring you to that conclusion?!” She demanded.

_“Well you sure stare at him a lot….”_ Al pointed out.

“You’re insane!” she retorted, sounding flustered. Al laughed lightly.

_“You’re as bad as brother with Winry,”_

“No I’m not!” she sounded slightly bewildered, “That’s absurd.”

“Are you going to enlighten me on this fascinating conversation you’re having?” Envy asked dryly. Elsie jumped slightly, realizing the former homunculus was watching her curiously.

“No!” She said emphatically. She was acutely aware that she was very red at the moment. Envy raised his eyebrows.

“Interesting…I’ll have to ask Alphonse about it when he’s back in his body,” he replied thoughtfully. Elsie blinked.

“No, you will not!” she ordered hastily. For a moment Envy looked like he couldn’t decide quite how to react, but finally he smirked.

“Why so vehement?” he inquired innocently.

“None of your business,” She retorted, turning away and busying herself with the bandages on the table. She heard him chuckle.

“Which practically screams that it’s something interesting. Especially since you’re trying to hide it,” he drawled.

“Ugh. Just forget about it,” She muttered, turning back to check on his shoulder.

“Not likely,” he retorted smugly. She visibly wilted.

“You’re a jerk,” she mumbled, carefully peeling off the blood stained towel. Envy snorted. 

“Just count yourself lucky I’m more lenient than I use to be,” he replied. Elsie let out a sigh, turning to slip the towel back into the bowl. She couldn’t really argue with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh, called out by Alphonse. She's still in denial. Um, so Al is probably a little out of character in this story. But I needed someone to be observant enough to make comments and he's a smart guy so I chose him for the task. Not to mention he's in the ideal position to notice things lol.
> 
> I hope the alchemy chit-chat made sense...


	18. Attachment

“Oww!” Envy protested.

“Sorry,” Elsie winced, trying to be as gentle as possible as she smeared antibacterial ointment over his injured shoulder. The hole had already begun trying to close up and having it cleaned off had been a very unpleasant experience for the green haired teen. Even in his old body he’d never had an overly high pain tolerance. At least then he’d been able to swiftly regenerate. But this body experienced pain even more keenly and there didn’t appear to be any quick solution for it.

“There we go,” Elsie stepped away, popping the lid back over the little jar of ointment, “Now I just need to bandage it and you’ll be done.” Envy let out a long suffering sigh.

“Does this mean I get to poke and prod your wound after?” he demanded.

“No!” she replied indignantly.

“How is that fair? You get to pick and poke at me, but I don’t get to return the favour?”

“Consider it as payback for choking me twice and throwing me into a ravine,” she retorted, “Now we’re finally even,” she placed gauze pads on either side of the wound and started the process of wrapping them in place. Envy rolled his eyes. For all his grumbling he had to admit she seemed to know what she was doing.

“So where did you learn all this?” he asked offhandedly. She was silent for a moment as she worked.

“My mom taught me a while back. She used to be a nurse… She figured I should know some of this stuff,” she coughed as her voice went a little hoarse, “Anyway, this is the first time I’ve gotten to experiment with a real wound like this,” she sounded a little sheepish.

“Oh, so I’m your guinea pig?” he sounded unenthused.

“I guess that’s one way of putting it,” she grinned slightly, tying off the end of the bandage and giving it a gentle tug, “There we go. You should clean off that gash on your side. It could use some ointment too,” she suggested, grabbing the bowl of dirtied water and heading back to the sink. Envy scowled.

“How has the human race survived this long?” he muttered.

“Lots of us die,” Elsie retorted, “Thanks in part to you and your contemporaries,” she shot him accusatory look over her shoulder.

“I’m starting to understand why your race is so miserably pathetic,” he grumbled. She frowned at him.

“Gee, thanks. Keep in mind you’re part of this miserably pathetic race now,” she replied dryly.

“Don’t remind me,” he replied glumly. She chuckled slightly.

“Hey now, being human isn’t so bad.”

“Really?” he demanded flatly.

“Well,” she finished rinsing one of the towels under the tap and pressed it to the bandage on her side, “I’d rather be human than be a homunculus.”

“Because…?”

“Well I’d miss having family and friends for one,” she pointed out.

“Yes, because having a family has been such a wonderful experience for you,” Envy retorted sarcastically. Elsie flinched, turning back to the sink. There was a long moment of silence before she finally responded.

“It was while I still had one,” her voice sounded strangely hoarse again. She tossed the towel on the counter and carelessly yanked at the bandage, causing the wound to reopen as it tore off. Envy raised an eyebrow at her sudden briskness. She turned and strolled swiftly back to the coffee table, busying herself with cleaning off the wound.

“Why are you crying?” Envy was slightly puzzled by the tears that had started to slip down her cheeks. She sniffed, reaching for the ointment jar.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied stiffly, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Maybe I would if you explained it,” he suggested. She fixed him with an exasperated look.

“How am I supposed to explain what losing a loved one is like to someone who’s never loved anyone?” she demanded. He stared at her blankly, not having an immediate answer. After several moments she had finished with bandaging and she gathered up the various supplies, returning swiftly to the kitchen. He watched her set everything down before growing still, standing with her back to him. After several minutes of silence it didn’t appear that she planned on moving. Envy gave a resigned sigh, rising to his feet and crossing the room to where she stood. He peered at her quizzically. Her eyes were shut and her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Just leave me alone,” she whispered, raising a hand to wipe at her tears.

“I don’t trust you to be left alone like this,” he informed her bluntly. She gave him a slightly startled look.

“Why do you care?" she demanded hoarsely, "I’m not your guide anymore.”

“I still don’t get why you’re this upset,” he ignored her question.

“I’m just not sure how to cope with being alone,” she muttered, staring at the floor. Envy gave her a puzzled look.

“You’re not alone. I’m standing right here,” he pointed out blandly. She turned to stare at him, her eyes wide. For a moment he wondered if he’d offended her by pointing out the obvious. Then without warning she threw her arms around him and buried her face against his good shoulder. He gave a slight gasp, staring down at her in shock.

“What…are you doing?” he demanded warily.

“I need a hug dammit,” her voice was watery and she hiccupped slightly.

“Since when do I give hugs?” his voice was a mix of bewildered irritation.

“Since you refused to go away when I asked you to,” her voice was muffled against his shoulder. He felt her shake with a held back sob and he sighed again. Somewhat awkwardly he let his arms settle around her middle.

“You’re an idiot,” he informed her, his voice resigned.

“You’re a jerk,” she retorted half-heartedly before hiccupping again, “Ugh, I hate hiccups,” she grumbled. Envy shook his head bemusedly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. After several minutes her breathing quieted and she sniffed, pulling back slightly to stare at him.

“Feel better?” he asked dryly. She opened her mouth to respond and then hesitated, something seeming to occur to her. A suspicious look crept across her face. “What?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Who are you and when did you switch places with Envy?” she demanded warily. He stared at her incredulously for a breath or two before growing offended.

“I have the good nature not to grievously damage you for inflicting yourself upon my person, and you accuse me of being someone else?” he glared at her.

“Well,” a sheepish grin crept onto her face, “Being good natured seems a little out of character for you."

“Hmph,” he huffed indignantly, pushing her away. She was right of course. More concerning, however, was the realization that he’d just been nice to her without even thinking about it. It had just…happened. He wasn’t _nice_ to anyone... unless he was specifically trying to manipulate them. Kindness didn’t mesh with the sin he was named for. 

Feeling disgruntled he turned and strolled across the room to glower out the window, arms crossed.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Elsie sounded mildly amused, wiping away the remaining moisture from her eyes. He shot her a dark look.

“You are a horrible influence,” his voice was irritated. She blinked and gave a startled laugh.

“I hope you realize the irony in that statement coming from you,” she chuckled, “What makes you say that?”

“I think you might be starting to rub off on me,” he sounded mildly disturbed. She let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like it was covering more laughter.

“I somehow doubt there’s much danger of that,” she replied dryly.

“Hn,” he didn’t sound convinced. She sighed lightly.

“Well I’m going to quickly wash my hair and then we should track down something to eat. You’ve got to be hungry. I know I sure am,” She said, turning and heading for the bathroom. She hesitated when she reached the hall. “Hey, Envy…” he glanced at her questioningly, “Um…thank you for the hug,” she sounded slightly embarrassed, cheeks reddening again. She turned and darted down the hall before he could respond, the bathroom door shutting swiftly. He stared after her, eyebrows raised. Finally he shook his head, glancing back out the window. She sure seemed to be in an odd mood today. Perhaps the lack of food and sleep was starting to get to her. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The shadows were growing long between the buildings as the sun sank towards the horizon. Elsie strolled down the narrow street towards the warehouse where Ed was still hard at work on the transmutation circles. She was clothed in a clean shirt and her freshly washed hair fluttered about her face in the cool breeze that had finally descended on the city. A chance to wash up and a wholesome meal fresh from the hotel’s kitchen had been wondrously refreshing. Now all she needed was a decent night of sleep in a real bed and she’d be back to fit and fighting condition; figuratively speaking of course.

She carried a covered wicker basket in one hand, gently swinging it back and forth as she walked. Ed had sent Wrath back to the hotel to get some supper but hadn’t come to get his own. She hadn’t needed Al’s prompting to pack up some food to bring him, although she wasn’t surprised at the younger brother’s concern. The importance of proper meals to maintain strength and concentration was fairly obvious. And Ed would be in need of both of those in spades for the transmutations to come.

Elsie’s brow furrowed anxiously. Edward was undoubtedly a brilliant alchemist, but he’d never carried out a transmutation quite like this one. On top of which, such an option had been there all along in their attempts to get their bodies back. The fact that they hadn’t even considered it suggested there was a considerable danger involved... Still. Wrath had informed both Envy and herself of Ed’s unfortunate discovery. She wasn’t terribly keen on the idea of her body breaking down and dying on her over the next few weeks. Wrath seemed determined to go ahead with the transmutation despite the risks involved, which was sweet. Envy… well he hadn’t said much. He seemed a little undecided after Wrath’s further explanation of the possible things that could go wrong... and there were certainly quite a few. Creating a body was a major transmutation on its own. But extracting different pieces of a soul from its various hosts and piecing them back together attached to a new host body…was in a class all of its own. Separating souls from each other was far from common practice in alchemy. There wasn’t exactly extensive information on the subject. She sensed an understandable reluctance on Envy’s part to commit to such a desperate scheme. But in the same breath, he had no way of knowing how the piece of soul attached to him would affect his own body.

She blew out a breath of air. There wasn’t much point in fretting over it. If he decided to back out there wouldn’t be a damn thing she could do. Except possibly beat him about the head with a hard blunt object for condemning her to such an unpleasant death. She shuddered slightly at the thought. Well, hopefully it wouldn’t come to that. She glanced up at the large building she was approaching. The door was still open enough to slide through. She felt a slight prick of nerves which she did her best to squash. The golden haired alchemist could be rather intimidating when it came to things concerning the safety of his brother. Not that she could blame him, but she really didn’t want to somehow get on the wrong side of him. Then again, she’d just spent the last three weeks with Envy. Did it really make sense to be more nervous of Ed than of the former homunculus? She shook her head at her own folly.

Reaching the door, she slipped in quietly through the small opening. Inside was darker than before now that the sun was so low in the sky, but Ed appeared to have fashioned a lamp for himself to help clearly see his work. The steady glow of light illuminated the center of the room. One circle appeared to be completed while Ed was crouched over the start of another one. His forehead was creased from concentration and Elsie hesitated partway in, not wanting to distract him and cause him to slip up. Several moments passed before he noticed her presence and glanced up.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there,” his voice was even but he looked worn out, “Do you need help with something? Is everything ok with Al?”

“Al’s just fine,” She assured him, “He was worried about you not eating so I brought some supper for you,” she crossed the space between them and set the basket down near the partial circle. He gave a tired chuckle.

“Thank you for that. I’ll probably be out here all night and I wasn’t really looking forward to spending the time hungry.”

“Then why didn’t you come up for supper?” She asked. Ed made a face.

“And eat with that green haired freak? Thanks but no thanks,” he glanced back down at the circle, drawing in another line. Elsie frowned, sinking down to sit cross legged by the basket. “I don’t understand how you survived three weeks with him. Literally,” he commented.

“Well…he’s not exactly like he used to be,” she replied hesitantly. He turned to stare at her skeptically.

“I find that very hard to believe. Besides, how would you know what he was like anyway, being from the other side of the gate and all?” he demanded.

“It’s complicated,” she replied simply. He raised an eyebrow, obviously not satisfied with that answer.

“I bet,”

“You’ve got to give him a little credit for being willing to help you with the transmutation,” She pointed out. His expression went from suspicious to flabbergasted.

“Give him _credit?_ He doesn’t deserve credit for anything! Not after the things he’s done,” Ed replied darkly.

“Well he _is_ helping you,” she replied a little defensively. She wasn’t quite sure how to react. She used to completely agree with Ed’s sentiments. But… she couldn’t really say the same now... 

“I can guarantee you he isn’t doing it for me,” Ed muttered, “In fact, I’m not sure why he’s doing it at all. Is it for you?” He raised his eyebrows at her. She gave a bemused smile.

“No, I highly doubt that. He’s probably doing it because he doesn’t want part of Al’s soul attached to him,” she replied. Ed didn’t appear convinced, but instead of arguing he reached for the basket of food and dug inside.

“I have a good mind to turn him over to Mustang after this,” he said, pulling out a ham sandwich from under the basket’s cover. Elsie’s eyes widened.

“Why would you do that?!” she cried. He gave her an odd look.

“Because he’s a mass murderer that shouldn’t be allowed to roam free,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“But he’s helping you,” she protested. He frowned at her.

“He’s helping himself, as you just said,” he pointed out, “Besides, who knows what sort of trouble he’ll stir up if he goes off on his own,” Elsie stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Ed continued on, “I don’t understand why you’re defending him. If you’re aware of the things he’s done in the past, why on earth would you side with a creep like that?” he demanded, fixing her with a serious stare. The lamp light glinted off his eyes and she shifted uneasily under the weight of his gaze.

“Well, he isn’t like he used to be. I mean, if he was I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now. I’d probably be dead somewhere on the other side of the gate…or at the very least, back at the hut I found him in yesterday,” her voice was hesitant.

“Oh, so sparing the life of one teenage girl excuses him for a century of destruction and slaughter,” Ed’s tone was sharply sarcastic as he bit into his sandwich.

“That’s not what I’m saying,” she frowned, “But he has changed. Couldn’t you at least give him a second chance?” Ed choked on his mouthful of food before glaring at her.

“People like him don’t deserve a second chance!” his voice was heated.

“And what gives you the right to decide that?” she demanded.

“What gives me the right?” his voice was raised slightly in aggravation, “The fact that everyone who comes in contact with him is put at extreme risk gives me more than the right to decide that!”

“But he hasn’t done anything wrong since he’s become human!” She protested.

“Only because he lacks the means too!” Ed snapped.

“That’s absurd! Maybe he doesn’t have the powers he once had, but he’s more than capable of torturing and killing and wreaking havoc if he chose to. But he _hasn’t_ , despite the fact that he’s been presented with more than enough opportunities by me and other people he’s run into. Even when we got attacked by those men last night he didn’t kill any of them. And he saved my life!” Elsie argued, temper rising in defence of the green haired teen. Ed glared at her a moment before finally responding.

“That’s very touching,” the sarcasm in his voice grated on her nerves, “but that doesn’t excuse the things he’s done in the past,” there was a note of finality in his tone. Elsie raked a hand through her bangs in exasperation.

“That’s hardly fair,” she muttered.

“How is that _un_ fair?!” Edward demanded incredulously.

“He was a homunculus before; a sin. It was his nature to be self centered and evil. And given how all the other homunculi were trying to become human, it couldn’t have been a very pleasant existence. Granted he wasn’t actively pursuing becoming human himself, but he certainly never asked to be brought back from the dead as something inhuman and then abandoned!” she said vehemently, “And now that he is human he’s got the chance to start over. He’s able to change himself now, if he chooses to. And I don’t think its right snatch that opportunity away from him before he has a chance to take advantage of it,” she glared stubbornly at the golden haired alchemist. He slowly shook his head.

“You’re unbelievable,” he took another bite from his sandwich, staring down at the transmutation circle. He seemed to be thinking, so Elsie remained quiet. It didn’t take him long to finish the sandwich with several more large bites. Finally he let out a sigh and turned to meet her determined gaze once more. “It isn’t worth the risk. He’s probably just biding his time and waiting for the opportunity to take revenge. It’s what the Envy I know would do.”

“But he isn’t the Envy you know!”

“Oh really? Because if I recall correctly Envy is an excellent actor,” he pointed out curtly. Elsie was quiet for a moment. It was a good point. She’d argued with herself over that one for a while. But Envy’s patience had its limits, and if he had been acting the whole time then those limits had been _severely_ tested.

“Maybe he is, but you haven’t spent the last three weeks living with him. I have,” she pointed out, “I’m not saying he isn’t a jerk and he doesn’t have issues, but we all have issues! We just need time to work on sorting them out. Could you just give him a chance…?” her expression was pleading. Ed’s eyes were unreadable as he stared at her.

“Why do you care about him so much?” he asked finally, voice softer than before. Curiosity had crept into his expression. Elsie opened her mouth to respond and then shut it again, frowning and breaking eye contact. How was she supposed to answer that? She’d been forcefully ignoring that very answer for some time now because it scared her. It left her feeling painfully vulnerable given what she knew about both Envy and Wrath. But she couldn’t ignore reality forever.

“Because… he’s all I’ve got left; him and Wrath,” her voice came out a little hoarse and she swallowed, reining in her emotions before continuing, “I know they probably don’t care much about me. Well…maybe Wrath does. But they’re the closest thing I have to friends or family now. Regardless of their motives, they’ve looked after me since mom died. So yes, I care about them a lot. Without them…I’m completely alone,” her voice trailed off to a whisper and she stared at the floor. Once again she felt tears trying to rise to the surface. She clenched her teeth in frustration, forcing them back. Was she going to burst into tears every time she thought of her mother? Ed was silent for a time and finally Elsie lifted her gaze to meet his. She was a little surprised by the tired understanding that now filled his expression.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d lost your mom… If you don’t mind me asking, how did she die?” he asked softly. Her hands clenched into fists and she dropped her gaze to the floor once more.

“She killed herself because I wasn’t there to stop her,” she replied tightly, nails biting into the palms of her hands. There was a brief silence before Ed sighed.

“So you blame yourself,” his voice was resigned.

“Of course I do,” she muttered.

“What about your dad? Is he still alive?” Ed asked. Elsie’s expression morphed into a glare as she glanced up at the young alchemist once more.

“We may be related biologically, but that bastard is _not_ my father!” she snapped. Edward seemed a little taken aback by her sudden vehemence, but he let out a slight chuckle.

“Well then. I guess we have something in common,” he appeared a little bemused, reaching up to rub his forehead tiredly, “Look, about Envy,” Elsie’s expression grew concerned. Ed’s appeared resigned. “I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t trust him and I can’t make any promises,” he warned. A wash of relief filled the dark haired girl. It wasn’t a guarantee, but at least he wasn’t hell bent on tossing the former homunculus overboard immediately.

“Thank you,” she breathed gratefully. Ed frowned uneasily.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he told her before turning his attention back to the circle, “I should get back to work on this. Tell Wrath to stay back at the hotel for the night. The three of you will need your rest for tomorrow,” he advised. Elsie nodded, slowly rising to her feet. “Oh. And thank you for bringing me supper,” he added, glancing at her gratefully.

“You’re quite welcome,” she smiled, before turning and making for large warehouse door.

Her attention was drawn to a shadow which darted away from the slight opening as she approached. She felt a thrill of alarm; had someone been eves dropping? Crossing the distance swiftly she peered out into the street. The area around the warehouse appeared deserted and she let out a breath of relief. The sun had sunk nearly below the horizon, leaving the street more dimly lit. Dusk was a common time for her sight to play tricks on her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Perhaps she’d just imagined it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. Maybe she imagined it...or maybe she didn't...
> 
> This is one of my favorite chapters. The character interactions were a lot of fun to write. xD I guess Al is pretty darn quiet this chapter...I admit, I completely forgot about him for a large chunk of the book and had to go back and rewrite him into it. *sheepish* I guess I missed this chapter in that process. Bear with me. He didn't disappear. ^^;


	19. Skeletons of the Past

Envy strolled briskly down the hall to the hotel room and quietly let himself in. Wrath looked up from his spot on the couch, giving him a questioning look. Envy shook his head.

“I’m going to bed,” he said curtly, turning down the hall to the bedrooms and entering the first one he came across. He shut the door firmly behind him and his gaze ran over the old double bed and night stand without really seeing anything. His thoughts were still back in the narrow street outside the warehouse. That damn girl… He’d only followed her out of boredom. He hadn’t expected to overhear such an emotionally charged conversation, mainly centering on himself.

He stripped off his shirt distractedly and flopped down on the bed, laying back to stare up at the pale stucco ceiling. He’d never realized just how tiring emotions could be in a human body. And being around Elsie seemed to guarantee his emotions were in a constant state of turmoil. He couldn’t stop replaying the words in his head, trying to wrap his understanding around it somehow.

_He certainly never asked to be brought back from the dead as something inhuman and then abandoned! Now that he is human he’s got the chance to start over. He’s able to change himself now, if he chooses to._

Change himself if he chose to? He was already changing without even intending to. There didn’t seem to be much choice in the matter. Then again, he hadn’t exactly been fighting the changes tooth and nail either. He felt torn in a way he never had before. The idea of changing from his former self into something human had always been utterly repulsive. But now there was a steadily growing part of him that was genuinely curious as to how these changes could affect his life. What new possibilities would open up for him if he embraced them? Things he’d never spared a second’s thought for now strangely fascinated him. Human emotions and attachments which he’d held in such contempt before, now held a strange attraction he didn’t understand. But at the same time they were entirely bewildering… even a little frightening. 

_I’m not saying he isn’t a jerk and he doesn’t have issues, but we all have issues! We just need time to work on sorting them out. Could you just give him a chance…?_

He shook his head. Why on earth would she put any faith in him? When had he ever given her reason to? Yet she’d vehemently argued in his defence against the pipsqueak. It was idiotic. Except…

_Because… he’s all I’ve got left..._

He frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn’t belong to her, and she was well aware she held no power or sway over him. Despite the face value meaning of the words, her tone hadn’t suggested any feeling of ownership. The mixture of apprehension and desperation in her voice suggested it was yet another human concept he’d failed to grasp. Why was his or Wrath’s company preferable to her than being alone? A better question was why on earth did he give a damn? How was it any of his concern whether she was unhappy or lonely? It wasn’t as if it affected him in any way shape or form. Why should he waste his energy caring about her?

He sat up abruptly and felt a throb of pain from his shoulder. He reached a hand up involuntarily, fingers coming into contact with the newly wrapped bandage. Abruptly he grew still. Even if he didn’t care about her, she cared about him. Yet she had far less reason to care for him than he did for her. Aside from getting out of the hospital with her he hadn’t exactly done her any favours. And he certainly hadn’t gone out of his way to be pleasant with her. None-the-less she’d worried about him, bandaged him, lectured him, and almost gotten herself killed for him. Why?

He rose to his feet and began to pace back and forth in the small room. He couldn’t think of any way that her caring for him had benefited her. She certainly hadn’t gotten any thanks for it. In fact, he’d rebuked her numerous times for it. But she continued looking out for him. _Why?!_ He pushed his jagged bangs away from his eyes before turning and hammer fisting the wall in frustration. Instead of the satisfying feeling of plaster shattering beneath his blow, his fist lit up in pain as the wall held firm. He growled in irritation and glared blackly at the pale green paint. After a moment he sighed, lowering his now throbbing hand and walking back to slouch down onto the bed. The entire situation was absurd. In a strange, twisted way it was even a little funny. Kindness from anyone was the last thing he deserved. His homunculus self would have simply refused to tolerate it. Yet here he was, twisting himself into knots trying to make sense of the motives behind it.

_There are different kinds of love I think. In my experience love is when you care about another person’s wellbeing more than your own._

_It isn’t about what you gain; it’s about what you give. It isn’t equivalent exchange…_

His fist clenched on the bedspread. The entire subject was alien to him, and he never usually responded well to things he didn’t understand. How was he supposed react to this? The easiest thing would be to simply ignore it and get the hell away from her. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with any of it… but… He sighed and rubbed his forehead tiredly. When he set aside the fact that he couldn’t make any sense of it, being cared about by someone hadn’t been an unpleasant experience. And despite the risks involved, the idea of skipping out now on the transmutation the next day didn’t feel right. As much as his common sense told him it wasn’t a good idea, he felt he owed at least this to the girl after everything she’d done for him. On top of which… He didn’t mind at all leaving Dante to rot to death. The old hag more than deserved it. But Elsie…? His lips twisted in a wry smirk. Since when had he had a conscience or any sense of honor? Of course they would choose now of all times to appear, when it meant putting his life on the line...

He stretched out on the bed once more, closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath. His body was demanding sleep and after spending all those nights in a vehicle or on the ground, the mattress felt heavenly. Now that he’d come to a decision, his mind was already trying to slip into unconsciousness. He would stay for the transmutation the following day. Then he’d sort out what to do after that when and if they all survived it.

****

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Wrath glanced up as the hotel room door opened and Elsie slipped inside. The dark haired girl shut the door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a pent up breath. She met his gaze.

“You’re still up? I thought you’d be in bed already,” she commented. The younger boy shook his head. She smiled tiredly at him, “Well, we should both probably get some sleep. It’ll be a big day tomorrow.” Wrath nodded uneasily. His encounter early that morning had been eating at him throughout the day. He felt like he should at the very least tell someone, but he wasn’t willing to confide in Ed and he doubted Envy would care much.

“Um… Elsie, can I talk to you?” he asked, shifting in his spot on the couch. The older girl blinked in surprise.

“Of course! What is it?” She asked, walking across the room to the couch. 

“Well… I sort of ran into Dante this morning…” he trailed off uncertainly. Elsie’s eyes widened.

“What happened?” she asked, sinking down next to sit beside him. Wrath made a face and stared at the floor.

“Well it’s kind of complicated. She overheard me talking to Rose.”

“You were talking to Rose?” Elsie raised her eyebrows

“Well she found me when I went for a walk. But that’s not important,” Wrath explained a little impatiently, “Dante found out that Al’s soul is attached to you. She wants to kill the two of you to get back at Edward,” he glanced at her anxiously. Elsie stared at him blankly for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly before opening her eyes. 

“Why don’t you start from the beginning,” she suggested gently, meeting his gaze calmly. Wrath nodded.

It didn’t take him long to recount his conversation with Rose or the subsequent chase and capture by Dante. 

“So how did you get away?” Elsie asked anxiously. Wrath had come to a halt in his explanation. He glanced away, his expression closed off. She frowned thoughtfully at his silence, “What aren’t you telling me?” He continued to avoid her gaze and she raised an eyebrow. He sighed. It wasn’t something he wanted to talk about…but if there was anyone he could discuss it with it was probably Elsie. 

“My…mother,” it was difficult to hear the word let alone say it, “She saved me,” he mumbled. Elsie gave a soft gasp.

“You mean…Izumi?” she asked tentatively. He nodded, still staring at the floor. Silence pervaded the room for a moment. “How do you feel?” she asked finally. He turned to stare at her in surprised uncertainty.

“About what?” his voice was guarded. Elsie gave a small shrug.

“About everything. About what happened, about your mother…” she trailed off, waiting for a response. He frowned. How did he feel? He wasn’t really sure.

“Confused,” he muttered finally. Elsie smiled slightly.

“That’s understandable.”

“It is?” he asked doubtfully. She nodded.

“Sorting through a mass of intense, mixed up emotions isn’t easy or fun. Trying to figure out which ones to trust is even harder,” her voice was sympathetic. Wrath sighed, gaze falling to his lap. “Do you want my advice?” She asked. He didn’t respond but she continued on anyway, “Give her a chance,” his head snapped up and he stared at her warily. “I know that you have possibly one of the most complicated mother-son relationships in history, and you’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about her. But you still have a mother, and she loves you more than you know. Don’t throw that away…” she trailed off, voice growing soft. He stared at her for a moment. The overly bright shine of her eyes and the tightness in her jaw betrayed held back emotion, adding a tinge of desperation to her words. After a breath or two Wrath shifted over closer on the couch and leaned into her side, wrapping his arms around her middle. She gasped slightly, taken off guard by the unexpected display of affection. She stared down at him for a moment. Finally she wrapped an arm carefully around his shoulders.

He let out a soft breath. The warm feeling of comfort was such a relief. It pushed away the tangled mess of anxiety that had been eating at him for weeks. He felt tears spring to his eyes and he hid his face behind his bangs in embarrassment, trying to push them back. He didn’t want her to see him cry. He sniffed slightly and Elsie rubbed his shoulder with her thumb, brushing back his wild dark hair with her other hand. He hastily wiped the moisture off his cheeks.

“Hey now, it’s ok to cry,” she told him gently, “I don’t mind. Poor Envy had to hug me while I was balling earlier, so you certainly don’t need to feel embarrassed,” She sounded a little bemused. Wrath gave her a wide eyed look.

“He what…?”

“Well to be fair, I hugged him, not the other way around,” she smiled sheepishly. He blinked at her several times before shaking his head and resting it against her side once more.

“He really has changed,” the younger boy sounded a bit bewildered. Elsie chuckled slightly.

“Yeah…he has.”

****

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_Darkness. It surrounded him utterly and completely; a silent blanket of unfeeling nothingness. He was unaware of anything. Peace filled what little of his consciousness still remained in existence. He was content to stay this way for eternity, drifting in an ocean of calm. But a spark flickered into existence. At first it appeared tiny and at a great distance. It continued to burn, growing brighter and closer, disturbing his peaceful rest. It stretched out numerous searing tendrils, wrapping about him and dragging him into an agonizing inferno. Suddenly he could feel himself; his limbs, his skin, his heart and lungs. And he wished he couldn’t. Air slid into his barely functioning lungs like napalm, and he let out a strangled, breath of a scream._

_For some time he knew nothing but pain, and the miserable realization that he’d been brought to life in a horrible, mangled form. Slowly, his eyes began to heal and regain their vision. And the first thing those eyes beheld was another pair of eyes staring down into his own; anxious, horrified eyes, the color of melted gold. The face in which those eyes were set possessed a wide forehead and strong jaw, with hair as golden as the eyes falling past his jawline in an unkempt manor. There were lines of strain and worry around the mouth and brow, and there was a painful, flickering hope in the depths of the man’s gaze._

_“William,” the man’s voice wavered slightly, “Oh heavens, William what have I done?” tears welled up in those golden eyes and spilled down his cheeks. The mangled corpse on the cold, hard ground could do nothing but stare, lost in a haze of pain. Each breath was an agony that he dreaded. Slowly, painfully slowly, he found the use off his fingers, and reached forward a claw of a hand in the man’s direction. The man had dragged him into existence. Surely such a man could ease the suffering which currently filled his wretched form. Wouldn’t he offer him comfort of some sort? If the man had wanted him here so badly that he’d dragged him back from the void, then surely he meant a great deal to him. Something flickered. A memory; it seemed so long ago… A laugh, a hair tousle…a warm smile...His father’s smile… Yes, this man was his father…_

_“So you did it after all,” another voice, a female voice, spoke up from somewhere. It held the distinct ring of disapproval, “Well you had better feed it some of the stones. Don’t just leave it suffering there,” the voice ordered. The golden eyed man raised a hand to his mouth, a held back sob wracking his frame._

_“I…I can’t…it’s not…I didn’t…It wasn’t meant to be like this,” his voice broke._

_What was happening? Wouldn’t this man help him? Surely his father would do something to save him from this horrible existence. But suddenly the man was pulling away. Then he was gone. The corpse let out a rattling whisper of a cry, reaching out in desperation. Don’t leave…you can’t leave me…come back…….please…._

_Days passed. Through a steady diet of red stones the boy, an older teenager really, regained his natural form. He too possessed golden hair and eyes, and the same tanned skin and strong jaw; the traits from his father. There were memories which haunted him; memories of his old life… his life as a human. He learned how he had died: Mercury poisoning. He was a homunculus now. His father had brought him back in a desperate desire to regain his son. Now he had powers which no human could possess. And there was a terrible, empty feeling in his core, as if he’d lost something important but couldn’t recall what it was. The teen turned to his father, seeking the love and acceptance he was sure could fix this emptiness. He had thought that once he healed and regained a recognizable form his father would rejoice and stay with him. Things would be just as they were. Except…there were things about his past he couldn’t remember. And he didn’t feel the same as the boy in those memories. It was obvious not only to himself, but to his former parents as well. Something had changed. And this wasn’t something his father was prepared to accept._

_“Where has he gone?” William demanded. His mother was seated in a lavish sitting room, a basket of yarn at her feet feeding the article she was knitting._

_“He ran away,” her tone was cool and uncaring as she concentrated on the work in her hands._

_“From what?” The golden haired boy asked, a confused frown creasing his brow._

_“From a mistake he desperately wishes he could undo,” her voice was pitiless. William stared at her uncomprehending. The then the meaning of her words stabbed through him like a blade. Suddenly air seemed difficult to find._

_“You mean…me? But I thought…doesn’t he care about me?” he whispered, the emptiness in his core constricting to the point of pain._

_“Care about you? You’re nothing to him but an aberration bearing the resemblance of his deceased son. You’re a fake, an imposter without a soul. He’d put an end to you himself but he lacks the courage to slay something bearing the face of his only child. So he’s left to get as far away from you as he can. Like the coward that he is,” her voice was bitter and she jerked harshly at the thread in her hands. He stood frozen on the spot. He couldn’t comprehend it; couldn’t bear to understand it. His own father believed he wasn’t his son. His father wished he had never brought him into existence._

_Not many days afterwards he found himself staring at his reflection in a mirror. Everything about what he saw reminded him of his father. The man who had turned him into what he was and then abandoned him. The man he would never be good enough for. The man that he_ hated _. With a strangled cry of anger and misery he lashed out, shattering the mirror with his fist into thousands of tiny pieces, raining down and tinkling across the smooth stone floor. His knuckles split and bled, slashed by the jagged glass edges. A moment later a thrill of energy crackled across the injured skin, knitting it swiftly back together. Hot, angry tears welled in his golden eyes. He had never felt so horribly hurt. It was nothing like the agony he had suffered through when he’d been brought into existence. It was worse. And it would never go away._

_There was only one thing he could do. He would follow his father’s example; just this once. He closed his eyes, envisioning a form so radically different from his true appearance that his father would be horrified. He would never be mistaken for that man’s son. He would never bare any resemblance or affiliation with the filthy bastard that had left him like this. And never again would he allow himself to give a damn about anyone but himself. He would never be abandoned again. Because he’d never let anyone get near him. He would run away…from all of it…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, the text in italics is a dream Envy is having. Yes, it's a flashback to his past. In some ways I can't really blame the FMA Envy for being so messed up. Talk about abandonment issues on top of being inhuman. As you may have guessed, we've reached a critical stage in his character development. This chapter and the two after it are the defining chapters in his transformation. Next chapter the dream is continued. I didn't want to have to split it over two chapters but that's just the way it ended up working out. I'll get it posted soon. ;)


	20. To Face Yourself

_The scene dissolved before his eyes, swirling and changing in the typical confusing way which dreams often do. He was no longer William. Now he was Envy. He was gazing across an empty white space. There were two figures standing not far apart. He realized with a start that one was Elsie and the other was himself. The dark haired girl appeared distraught, stepping towards him anxiously._

_“But I thought,” she began, voice wavering._

_“No, I won’t help you. This entire thing was a mistake. I should never have tolerated you this long. I wish I’d never met you in the first place!” he heard himself cut her off harshly. He watched himself spin on his heel, walking away from her, slowly disappearing the farther he got. She let out a pained gasp, taking a step forward and reaching a hand toward his fading form._

_“Don’t leave! You can’t leave me…come back…….please….” A thrill of shock shot through him at the eerie familiarity of her plea. He felt a rising frustration realizing the other Envy wasn’t even paying attention to her. He faded away completely, leaving the stunned girl entirely alone. A moment later her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. The scene closed in on her, close enough to see her laboured breathing and shivering. Her head was down, hair falling forward to hide her face. Then before his eyes he watched her skin slowly begin to change, growing patchy and off colored. His confusion shifted rapidly to horror as he realized she was beginning to rot, just like Dante._

_“Elsie!” he called, realizing with a start that he suddenly possessed a voice and physical form. He reached out, grasping her shoulders and shaking her slightly. She lifted her head slowly and fixed him with a gaze as dead as it had been just after her mother had died. The rot was slowly creeping up her neck towards her face._

_“I’m sorry you have to see me like this. You should go,” her voice was strained._

_“What are you saying?” he demanded sharply._

_“I’ll be gone soon. Its better this way,” she whispered._

_“Why?” he asked in bewilderment._

_“Because I’m tired of being alone. I’m tired of being someone else’s mistake. First dad, now you… It probably would’ve been better if I was never born,” she muttered, “So this fixes that,” Envy stared at her with a stunned expression._

_“You idiot! How can you say that? After lecturing me like you did, how can you give up now?” he cried. A terrible desperation was gripping him as he watched the rot slowly beginning to creep up her face._

_“Because now there’s nothing left for me to live for,” she replied simply. The rot completely covered her face, creating a gruesome mask. The sick, horror that filled him left him paralyzed. How could this be happening? Hadn’t he made the decision to stay and help her? It shouldn’t have come to this… Then without warning she began to dissolve, turning to dust beneath his fingers and raining down into a pile of sand. He reached out to grab her but his hand found nothing but air. She was gone._

_The next thing he knew the ground had opened up beneath him and he was falling; falling through swirling darkness and echoing sounds from partly recalled memories. Cold voices surrounded him mercilessly, driving him deeper into the darkness._

_“You’re nothing but a fake! A worthless imposter without a soul.”_

_“Did you honestly think he’d come back for you? He’ll never accept the monster he created. Don’t be so pathetically naive.”_

_“Care about you? Who gives a damn if anyone cares about you? You don’t need love or friendship. The only thing worth looking out for is yourself. Everything else is too worthless to waste your time on.”_

_“You’re actually tolerating that human scum? What’s the matter with you? Remember the last time you trusted a human? How did that end for you, huh?”_

_“You don’t need anyone. You’re far better off alone.”_

_“You’re weak! You’re utterly useless now. You might as well end your pathetic existence and quit wasting oxygen.”_

_“You’ll be human forever. There’s nothing you can do.”_

_“Give up. You’re finished. It’s not like anyone in the world will give a damn if you’re gone.”_

_“There’s no point in trying to change. No one will ever be able to forgive what you’ve done. You’ll always be a monster. Just accept it. You’ll feel better.”_

_Then a new voice piped up above the rest, drowning them out till it was the only thing he could hear. It was clear, and readily familiar. The words seemed to fill the air around him, slowing his fall._

_“Are you saying you think you’re Envy?!”_

_“Are you ok?”_

_“What happened to you?”_

_“Let me fix that bandage.”_

_“Hey, be nice! I’m helping you,”_

_“What’s the matter with you?”_

_“You idiot! Quit feeling sorry for yourself.”_

_“You aren’t worthless. And just because things are going to be different from now on does not give you any excuse to give up!”_

_“Are you alright?”_

_“Maybe I am naive. But at least I actually care about something other than myself and my own hatred.”_

_“Sorry… I’m just… really glad you’re coming after all.”_

_“I just didn’t want you to die.”_

_“Why is this such a big deal to you?! Ok yes, I care about you. I care about a lot of people! I get that you’ve probably never cared about anyone before, and I realize you probably don’t give a damn about me, but caring isn’t an equivalent exchange thing! It just happens, whether you mean for it to or not. You don’t care because you expect to get something out of it. In fact, a lot of the time caring about people winds up hurting you. But you do it anyway. It’s just the way it is.”_

_“There are different kinds of love I think. In my experience love is when you care about another person’s wellbeing more than your own. Their happiness brings you joy, and watching them suffer is agonizing. You feel like you can’t live without them…”_

_“Love isn’t about what you gain; it’s about what you give. It isn’t equivalent exchange, it’s the ultimate form of caring. And it’s not abnormal to love someone who doesn’t even love you back; although it’s more painful that way...”_

_“You should have told me you reopened your wound during that fight!”_

_“You’re such a jerk. I don’t know why I bother worrying about you.”_

_“Hey now, being human isn’t so bad.”_

_“I’d rather be human than be a homunculus.”_

_“I’m just not sure how to cope with being alone…”_

_“Who are you and when did you switch places with Envy?”_

_“Hey Envy? Um…thank you for the hug…”_

_“He was a homunculus before; a sin. It was his nature to be self centered and evil. And given how all the other homunculi were trying to become human, it couldn’t have been a very pleasant existence. Granted he wasn’t actively pursuing becoming human himself, but he certainly never asked to be brought back from the dead as something inhuman and then abandoned! And now that he is human he’s got the chance to start over. He’s able to change himself now, if he chooses to. And I don’t think its right snatch that opportunity away from him before he has a chance to take advantage of it.”_

_“I’m not saying he isn’t a jerk and he doesn’t have issues, but we all have issues! We just need time to work on sorting them out. Could you just give him a chance…?”_

_“Because… he’s all I’ve got left…I know they probably don’t care much about me. Well…maybe Wrath does. But they’re the closest thing I have to friends or family now. Regardless of their motives, they’ve looked after me since mom died. So yes, I care about them a lot. Without them…I’m completely alone.”_

_Alone. Unwanted. Abandoned._

_He hit the ground with a jolt, crumpling to his hands and knees in the dirt. The swirling darkness and voices had vanished. A yellow glow shone into the shadows around him. He had no idea where he was. But something was walking towards him. He tried to spring to his feet but suddenly every muscle in his body was painfully weak. He could barely remain on his knees let alone defend himself. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so horribly vulnerable. He felt his limbs quivering; from exhaustion or fear, he wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps it was both._

_The creature stepped forward into the dim light he felt himself gasp in surprise. He was staring up at… himself; His homunculus self. The lithe body, skort and crop-top; the palm tree like hair, purple eyes and slit pupils… It was all so familiar, but he wasn’t used to seeing himself from the outside. And the oddest thing was his fear didn’t dissipate. It grew. The idea of being afraid of himself was absurd, but he knew all too well this was a very bad way to meet himself. The twisted sneer on the homunculus’s face confirmed it._

_“Look at you,” it spat mockingly, “Sprawled in the dirt, shaking like a frightened child. Humanity doesn’t suit you. You’re disgusting,” its tone was caustic. Envy flinched as he met his own gaze. The bitterness and hatred in the depths of those violet eyes was disturbing. He couldn’t even think about a response. He was frozen. The homunculus continued to walk lazily towards him, coming to a halt right in front of him. “I can’t stand that a worthless human is wearing my face,” It hissed. Then abruptly it lashed out, kicking him forcefully in the gut, sending him flying backwards. He landed limply in the dust with a pained gasp, unable to even push himself back to his knees. He was helpless. He turned his head to see the homunculus crouching down next to him. The expression on its face was gleefully cruel. There was no pity, no mercy in that gaze._

_A moment later it reached out and grabbed him by the throat, hauling him to his feet. It lifted him up so his toes barely grazed the dirt. The pain from his constricted wind pipe and the rapidly growing desperation of his lungs made him force his arms up to claw at the homunculus’s hand. It smirked sadistically and tightened its hold, all but snapping his neck. A horrible, desperate fear gripped him. For the first time in his unusually long existence, he wanted to beg for mercy. And he was all too aware how futile it would be. Staring at the creature before him, it’s twisted expression, it’s obvious enjoyment of his suffering…. Was this how he’d appeared to Elsie when he’d first met her? Was this what he wanted to go back to? Then the hand about his throat tightened further and he gave a barely audible, strangled cry..._

Envy’s eyes flew open and he bolted upright, gasping desperately for air. A horrible panic gripped him and sent his heart pounding furiously in his chest. A cold sweat had broken out over his entire body and he could feel himself trembling slightly. Slowly his eyes focused on the room around him. Very early morning light spilled in from the small window, lighting the pale green walls and dresser across from his bed. His heart began to slow as his breathing came under control. It had just been an unpleasant dream… and a very vivid one at that. His thoughts began to slip back, trying to untangle the mess that his conscious mind had made of the nightmare. It was slowly coming back in bits and pieces. But he couldn’t shake the image in his mind just as he’d bolted awake. A pair of purple eyes filled with a sick enjoyment that made his stomach turn.

He swung his legs down to the floor, resting on the edge of the bed for a moment. The solid feeling of the old carpet beneath his feet was reassuring. Drawing in a deep breath he raised hand to wipe the thin sheen of sweat off his brow. His fingers were still trembling a little. That dream… What…the fuck…? He wasn’t use to dreaming. Homunculi didn’t usually sleep much; they didn’t need to. And when he had slept any dreams had been only vaguely recalled upon waking. But this dream…there were parts he remembered far too clearly. Elsie’s rotted form hovered in the back of his mind. He shuddered. After making the decision to stay for the transmutation after all, it seemed a cruel thing for his subconscious to slap him with that.

Judging by the light levels it was still too early to be up and about. But there was no way he was going back to sleep. He needed to get some air. Rising to his feet he crossed the room and quietly slipped out the door. Padding silently down the hall he came to a stop at the edge of the living room. To his surprise there were two forms asleep on the couch. Elsie, her dark curls spilling across one of the couch pillows, had an arm draped protectively around the young boy snuggled next to her. Her eyes were shut in a peaceful expression while her breathing came slow and even. Wrath stirred slightly, one arm sliding to dangle over the edge of the couch. His mouth was slightly open and his own dark locks were spread about wildly, mingling with the older girl’s black hair.

He felt a strange tightness in his chest. The emotion was another unfamiliar one. He wasn’t quite sure what to call it. They made such an innocent, peaceful picture together. And with the chilling image of those hateful purple eyes in the back of his mind, they seemed terribly fragile and vulnerable. Those eyes had been his eyes. That creature would have taken great pleasure in utterly shattering the two of them. Drawing it out…hearing them scream… Just because they had something he could never have. Happiness. Because they knew there was someone who cared about them and wanted them. They weren’t alone.

A shudder ran through him. He was so horribly confused. He didn’t know how he was supposed to feel. There were too many conflicting emotions inside of him, battling with each other as if trying to tear him to pieces. He was drawn to the very things he used to hate and scorn. He was so tired of fighting with himself. And even more than that, he was tired of being alone. Why was he still clinging to his former self when the memory of it now sickened him? He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw. He knew why… those hateful eyes were familiar. He understood them. Those were emotions he had felt for so many years and there was a toxic comfort in them. These new desires and emotions were entirely alien. They promised something he never dreamed to have, but how could he even begin to put trust in something he didn’t understand?

A soft sound from across the room made his eyes snap open. Elsie shifted in her sleep, a slight frown creasing her brow. She murmured something softly that he couldn’t make out. Feeling a prick of curiosity he slowly drifted across the room towards them. He came to a stop next to the couch, staring down at their unconscious forms. The feeling of tightness in his chest increased. The emotion wasn’t a bad one, but it was adamant. He had to let himself admit it. He cared about both of them. Perhaps he understood Elsie better than he’d realized. He didn’t want to lose them. There was no one left in the world that would tolerate his presence, let alone care about him; except for them.

Elsie shifted slightly again and sighed, a strand of hair slipping across her face. She frowned slightly in her sleep at the disturbance. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He reached a hand forward to brush the strands back when a memory flashed through his mind. In his hand he saw a gun. It was pointed at a dark haired man in a military uniform, with square, black rimmed glasses and a shadow of stubble. His back was turned and blood stained his shoulder, dripping onto the floor of the telephone booth he stood in. Without having to look down at himself Envy knew the form he was in. The man spun, knife in hand, and froze as he came face to face with the identical copy of his wife. Envy clearly remembered the giddy glee, the scorn, the enthusiasm which filled him as with a twisted grin he pulled the trigger.

He froze in place, hand not moving an inch closer to the sleeping girl. That man had had people that cared about him just as he cared about the girl and boy before him. A little girl a few years younger than Wrath, and the wife whose face he’d worn to murder him. He had snatched that man away from them forever without a second’s hesitation. It had been a thrill. He felt a terribly heavy feeling creep into his chest. He couldn’t recall ever feeling it before, but he knew what this one was. Guilt. He really was a monster. There was no getting around that. The only thing that had changed was that now it bothered him. Now he wished he could erase his past. Shooting a military officer was a minor crime in comparison to the long list of crimes spanning the century and a half of his existence.

He withdrew his hand and stared down at the girl. She knew better than most the extent of his atrocities. Not for the first time he wondered what could possibly possess her to care about his wellbeing. It just didn’t make any sense. How could she overlook the things he’d done? It was unbelievable. Perhaps she’d been locked in a psych ward for more than just the disorder she’d mentioned…

“Envy don’t,” she murmured forcefully, frowning again in her sleep. The air froze in his lungs. She was dreaming about him? He wondered with a prick of unease what he’d done to provoke that statement. Her arm tightened slightly around the boy next to her. “Don’t go,” her voice was softer and her expression relaxed once more. He drew in a sharp breath, eyes widening.

_Don’t leave! You can’t leave me…come back…….please…._

His pulse sped up again as the feeling of panic crept back into him. How could she care about him or want him around? She’d said it herself, he was a jerk and he had issues. He’d only end up hurting her, or at the very least disappointing her. There was a pressure, an expectation, a feeling of needing to be good enough for her to want him around, and it wasn’t something he was prepared for. The last person he’d tried to be good enough for had ran away from him and found someone else that was better. He’d sworn he’d never go through that again. It wasn’t something he could bear. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing, but it was useless. He needed to get away from her. Turning on his heel, he swiftly crossed the room to the door, pulling it open and slipping out without a backward glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sheesh it's taken me a while to get this uploaded! Hopefully I can get the rest of this story up here soon.
> 
> Poor Envy. He's got some serious insecurities to deal with. Buuuuut he's making headway.   
> That... was a very long dream sequence... If I ever rewrote this, I'd make that scene a lot shorter. x''D But I don't have the time in my life for that unfortunately. Busy working on other stories now.


	21. Sacrifice

Elsie awoke to a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She snapped her eyes open to see who had woken her and was surprised to find Ed staring down at her. The bags under his eyes stood out glaringly against the unusual paleness of his cheeks and pieces of his golden hair were slipping out of his braid. He looked utterly exhausted. She felt the boy under her arm stir and wake.

“What’s going on?” Wrath mumbled, rubbing his eyes. She allowed her hand to slide off of him as he sat up.

“Both of the circles are complete. Everything is ready for the transmutation,” Edward said, his voice tired, “We can start as soon as you’re ready.” Elsie blinked in surprise.

_“Umm…didn’t he just stay up all night?”_ Al asked skeptically.

“Wow, that’s…good…but you look really tired. Why don’t you try to get some sleep first?” she suggested, sliding her legs off the couch and rising stiffly to her feet. He shook his head, his expression strained.

“We should get this over with. The longer we wait the greater the chance something might happen to interfere,” he replied, “Where’s Envy?”

_“Elsie,”_ Al’s voice was concerned, _“When you get the chance I need you to ask brother something…”_ he trailed off uneasily. Elsie nodded in acknowledgement of his request before responding to Ed’s question.

“I assumed he was sleeping in one of the rooms,” she replied uncertainly. Ed shook his head grimly.

“I already checked. He’s not there.” Elsie’s heart clenched and some of the blood drained from her cheeks. That was odd. Maybe he’d just gone for a morning walk… He wouldn’t actually…run off… Would he? Was he really going to just abandon them? She’d thought he’d changed enough that he’d stick it through till the end despite the risk. But…maybe he hadn’t… She opened her mouth to respond when a voice at the door cut her off.

“I’m right here,” Envy said flatly. Her gaze darted across the room to where he stood, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed. Relief crashed over her like an avalanche. Ed turned to glance at him.

“Oh…good. Well, why don’t we head down then?” he suggested, turning back to Elsie. She frowned uneasily.

“I really think you should get some sleep first,” she chided. Ed sighed exasperatedly.

“There’s no way I’ll be able to sleep now. Not before something like this,” he told her irritably. Al made a sound of frustration at his brother’s stubbornness.

_“Ask him what he’s planning on using as payment for the transmutations,”_ He said, voice suspicious. Elsie blinked. That was a good point; but before she could ask him a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She felt a thrill of surprise to see Envy striding swiftly and silently across the room towards them. The next thing she knew he’d crept up behind the young alchemist and reached out a hand, forcefully pinching the back of his neck. Without a sound Ed’s eyes rolled up into his head and his knees buckled. Elsie gave small cry of alarm and barely managed to catch him as he collapsed, lowering him slowly down to the floor.

“Envy!” she shot him an accusatory look. He rested a hand on his hip, staring down at the two of them skeptically.

“I don’t care how good an alchemist he is. There’s no way I’m letting him mess around with my soul while he’s in that condition,” he stated bluntly. Elsie grimaced slightly. She had to agree with him there. Al sighed.

_“I guess you’ll have to ask him later. At least he’ll get some sleep now.”_

“Hey, how did you do that?” Wrath demanded curiously, glancing from the passed out alchemist to Envy. The green haired teen raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not teaching you,” he replied dryly. The dark haired boy’s expression fell.

“Awe, come on Envy. You’re no fun,” he pouted slightly. Envy snorted.

“Well squirt, since you have so much energy why don’t you run downstairs and check what their making for breakfast,” he suggested. Wrath frowned

“Why do I have to do it?” he whined.

“Because I said so,” his voice left no room for argument. Wrath huffed and rolled his eyes but he slid off of the couch and slowly headed out of the room. Envy watched the door close before returning his gaze to the girl sitting in front of him.

“You thought I’d run off and skipped out on this whole idea, didn’t you?” It was his turn to sound accusing. Elsie drew in a breath, regarding him uncertainly. She wasn’t about to deny it.

“Well you never said for sure that you would stay,” she pointed out. Envy rolled his eyes.

“Oh ye of little faith,” he muttered, “Why would I go to the trouble of putting up with you this long if I just planned on ditching you?” he demanded. Elsie chewed her lip for a moment, glancing down at the sleeping alchemist. She was debating with herself on how exactly to answer the question. Finally she sighed, glancing up at him again.

“The people I care about have a tendency of leaving me behind,” she told him flatly. He stared at her. That wasn’t really the answer he’d been expecting.

“What do you mean?” he frowned. She glanced away again uncertainly.

“Well, just look at my parents. First dad runs off, and then mom gives up…” she trailed off for a moment before smirking bitterly, “The last close friend I had told me that her parents didn’t want her hanging around with me anymore. That was after I’d been hospitalized in the psych ward for the first time… When I confronted her mom about it later she had no idea what I was talking about...” She shook her head bemusedly, “So needless to say I haven’t really expected you to hang around long. Since apparently I’m not good enough to be worth being around,” her tone was resigned.

When the silence stretched out for several moments she glanced up at him. He was still staring at her, but an odd expression had crept onto his face. She blinked.

“No smart remarks about my sob story? I’m shocked,” her tone was weakly sarcastic. He frowned and glanced at the floor, not responding. She felt a prick of surprise. She’d honestly expected him to simply scoff at her. Her expression softened slightly in concern. “What is it?” she asked. He shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he muttered, before fixing her with a serious stare, “I’m not going anywhere. You might be annoying and irrational, but you’re worth being around,” he told her firmly. The intensity of his gaze and seriousness of his tone startled her. She stared at him feeling stunned. That was not how she’d expected him to respond. Mild insults aside, he was actually being…nice. “Now,” his tone was matter of fact, “Help me get the pipsqueak onto the couch. No point in leaving him here to trip over,” he said, effectively changing the subject. Elsie drew in a deep breath, clearing her head. Was he ever going to be predictable?

“Right,” she replied.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Early evening was creeping upon the city as the four of them finally made their way down to the warehouse. Envy walked ahead of the group, feeling a little impatient to get a move on. Edward had remained knocked out for longer than he had anticipated. The young alchemist hung back slightly, glaring blackly at the green haired teen. He was still feeling disgruntled over his earlier rough treatment.

“You know, if you keep staring at Envy like that you’ll probably burn a hole in the back of his head,” Wrath commented innocently.

“Good!” Ed snapped, “My neck is _still_ aching! There’s probably a bruise there now.”

“Oh shut it pipsqueak. Quit being such a little girl,” Envy retorted unsympathetically.

“Hey! Just who do you think you’re calling little?!” Ed’s tone was irate. Wrath snickered.

“Oh, so you’ve accepted that you’re a girl then?” Envy inquired dryly, casting a glance back at him. The blond alchemist looked about ready to spontaneously combust. Abruptly Elsie rested a hand on his arm.

“Um, Ed. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” her tone was a little anxious. She appeared to have only half noticed the argument going on in front of her. Obviously something was on her mind. Ed glanced at her in surprise, jarred out of his abrupt fury.

“Yeah, what is it?” he asked curiously.

“Well, umm… It’s about the transmutation. What are you using for payment? For the equivalent exchange and everything?” she asked. He blinked, taken slightly off guard.

“Uh… well that’s easy enough. I’ve got all the various minerals, trace elements and other components I need already set up there. I’ll be exchanging those to make Al’s body,” he explained.

“Yes, but what about the transmutation of our souls?” Elsie insisted. Ed’s expression grew grave and he glanced away.

“It’s nothing worth troubling yourself over. I’ve got everything under control,” he told her, increasing his stride and walking briskly away. He strolled past Envy and up to the large warehouse door. Elsie stared after him bewilderedly. Envy couldn’t help but share her uncertainty. That wasn’t a reassuring answer.

The four of them slipped inside the large building.

“Envy, help me with this door, would you?” Ed demanded gruffly. For once the green haired teen chose not to argue with the smaller boy. Together the two of them managed to slide it shut with an unpleasant grinding screech. Ed clapped his hands together and slapped them against the metal, transmuting the wall and the door together so it was sealed shut.

“There,” he said, “Now no one can bother us,” he turned and strolled across to the middle of the warehouse where the circles had been prepared. Envy followed a moment later, Elsie and Wrath trailing after him.

The circles were awe inspiring in their complexity. Even though he’d worked on it throughout the night, Envy was a little surprised Ed had finished them this quickly. Each of them had a diameter wide enough for him to lay down in with plenty of room to spare. As Ed had promised, there was an odd pile of various ingredients sitting in one of the circles. The other circle remained empty. He assumed that was the one for the soul transmutation. He stomach twisted uneasily. He sure hoped Ed had done his research well enough. He glanced at the golden haired alchemist who was bent over an old looking alchemy book as he stood next to the circle with the ingredients. Silence rained for several moments before he finally shut the book with a thump.

“Alright, I need to draw some symbols on each of you. Then I’ll need you to be standing in the empty circle while I perform the transmutation for Al’s body. That way I can move immediately on to the soul transmutation. The less time the new body remains uninhabited the better,” Ed explained.

“Alright,” Elsie agreed. Envy heaved an inward sigh as the small alchemist approached with a small paintbrush and tin of paint. Beginning with Wrath, he drew signs on each of the boy’s hands and his forehead in red paint. Then he lifted the boy’s shirt and drew a sign on his stomach and on his back. He moved on to Elsie and repeated the same procedure. When he finally reached Envy the green haired teen locked his jaw and forced himself to stand still and allow the blond boy to draw on him. Even if it wasn’t as strong as it used to be, he couldn’t help but detest the boy. Old habits died hard, and he certainly hadn’t forgiven Ed’s father. 

Finally Ed withdrew, painting several symbols upon himself before setting down his brush and paint.

“There. Now I need you to go stand in the empty circle _carefully._ You can’t scuff any of the lines. They’re chalked in pretty heavily, but keep in mind your lives are at stake here,” he gave Envy a hard look as if he expected him to purposefully mess up the circle. The teen rolled his eyes. Did the kid think he had a death wish? The three of them approached the circle and very tentatively made their way into its center, stepping over and around the various spiralling, intertwining lines until they came to the blank area in the middle.

“Good. Now just stay there for a minute,” Ed said, turning back towards the other circle. Envy watched him for a moment, feeling an odd prickle of unease. Something was bugging him but he couldn’t lay a finger on what it was. He gave the rest of the warehouse a cursory glance, but couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary; just some old boxes stacked up in the corner nearest to them. He shook his head. Maybe it was just the lingering feeling from that dream.

Edward approached the first circle and knelt down beside it. Drawing in a deep breath, he clapped his hands and rested him on the edge of the circle. A brilliant blue light flared up and crackled along the lines, filling the warehouse with its glow. Envy saw both Elsie and Wrath turn away, and a moment later he followed suit. It was too bright to look at, and impossible to see what was happening. The air felt unusually thick and heavy with the energy radiating from the circle. After several moments the light dimmed and faded away completely. Envy turned back around to see the end result.

In the center of the circle lay a body. A slight wisp of smoke still drifted away from it, but it appeared to be unburned anywhere. In fact, it looked like a perfectly normal male body, somewhere in its teens. It lacked any clothing, and its eyes were closed. But the face did bear a resemblance to Edward, and there was fine blond stubble covering its head. Envy couldn’t help but wonder how the young alchemist had managed to shape the body’s appearance.

Edward rose shakily to his feet, breathing a little laboured.

“Good,” He sounded relieved, “It worked the way I hoped it would,” he turned towards the three of them, a determined expression on his face, “Are the three of you ready?” he asked. Envy hesitated, glancing at his two companions. To his surprise both Wrath and Elsie appeared a little uncertain. Envy swallowed and gathered his wits. It was too late for turning back now.

“As ready as we’ll ever be,” he replied firmly, meeting the alchemist’s gaze. As much as it grated on him to do it, he was trusting that the boy knew what he was getting them all into. Ed nodded and approached the circle, crouching down by the edge of it. He paused a moment, apparently gathering his thoughts before he proceeded.

Envy tensed. He felt a strong thrill of anxiety, but it wasn’t due to the boy in front of him. He glanced back towards the pile of boxes and felt his heart constrict in alarm. From behind the boxes a form had leapt out and was very rapidly racing towards them. It would reach them within another few breaths. He felt a sudden wave of revulsion and horror as he realized just who it was. The tattered purple dress and ragged black hair were all that was left to distinguish the creature that was Dante. Her entire form was rotted and putrid looking, like one of the walking dead. Her face was unrecognizable. But despite her condition she clearly retained her alchemic abilities for he saw a flash of blue light in her hand as a blade formed there. To his surprise, she didn’t appear to be looking at him at all. What was she after? And then it dawned on him at the last second. She was headed for Elsie.

He didn’t have time to figure out what her motives could be for killing the dark haired girl standing next to him. All he knew was that Elsie wasn’t going to turn around in time. There was no way she could get out of the way. There was no time to warn her, or even think about a course of action. But he found he didn’t have to think. He already knew there was only one thing he could do. As the corpse of a woman reached Elsie, blade drawn back in preparation, Envy darted in front of her. Dante fell against him, blocked from her true target. At the same time he felt a sharp, fiery pain tear into his side. He let out a pained gasp, and felt the girl behind him turn.

“Envy!” she cried. And then he heard a clap. Blue light flooded his senses and drowned out everything else, including the pain. Then his consciousness dissolved and he slipped into blackness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is probably the worst cliff hanger of the whole story. Really, there aren't nearly enough of them in this story. Although...I more than make up for it in the sequel.... x'D  
> Envy's not the only one with abandonment insecurities. Imagine that. They actually have something in common.


	22. Aftermath

The first thing she became aware of was a fierce pounding in her skull. The rest of her body felt oddly exhausted, sprawled on a cool cement floor. Her eyes blinked open and she stared up at a high metal ceiling. Where was she? What had happened? After a moment it slowly came back to her. The transmutation... Judging by the silent emptiness of her mind, it had worked. She felt a strange sense of urgency, like she’d forgotten something important. Something had happened…before the transmutation… It struck her like a bolt of electricity. She jerked upright with a gasp.

“Envy!” She glanced about wildly and spotted his prone form not far from her own. She began to drag herself over to him, the complaints of her muscles forgotten in a wave of anxiety.

As she reached his side she felt a rising panic and struggled not to burst into tears. He was lying in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were closed and his face was paler than usual. A knife was embedded in his side along the bottom of his ribcage. She had no idea how long the blade itself was but it seemed like an awful lot of blood. She didn’t want to pull it out for fear of making him bleed even more. She leaned over him and grasped his shoulders, gently shaking him.

“Envy, wake up. Talk to me….please, you need to wake up!” there was a faint note of hysteria in her voice.

“Elsie?” she glanced back at the hesitant call of her name and saw Wrath standing a short distance away. His eyes were wide as he took in the state of the green haired teen.

“Wrath, you need to go find help, quickly!” her tone was desperate. The dark haired boy wavered.

“But…the door… it’s still sealed,” he pointed out nervously. Elsie drew in a sharp breath. She’d forgotten Edward had sealed them in. She whirled around and spotted the young Alchemist crouched by the body he had transmuted for his brother.

“Edward,” she called. He glanced up at her, strain visible in his features. “Is he…did it work?” she asked abruptly, eying the body uncertainly.

“He’s breathing, but he hasn’t woken up yet,” Ed’s voice was a little hoarse. Elsie nodded. Well, breathing sounded like a good sign.

“I need you to help Wrath open the door so he can go for help. Envy’s hurt; badly,” her voice quavered slightly. His golden eyes widened and he glanced at the injured teen, clearly taken off guard. After a moment he staggered to his feet and headed swiftly for the door. Wrath followed after him.

Elsie turned back to the boy in front of her. Gathering her wits she took note of the fact that, like Al, Envy was still breathing...shallowly. He wasn’t dead. Not yet anyway. She tried to fight back fear that was invading her mind. He couldn’t die. Not like this. Not for her… She leaned over him again, cupping his face in her hands.

“Wake up dammit,” her voice shook and she felt the first tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. She couldn’t go through this again. She couldn’t lose him too. Shutting her eyes, she focused on trying to take even breaths. Wrath would be coming back with help. If he could just hang in there till then...

“Elsie?” the voice was faint and she snapped her eyes open to see Envy’s grey eyes staring up at her. She gasped.

“You’re awake!” her voice broke slightly in relief. She saw his brow furrow slightly.

“Are you…ok?” His voice was hoarse, but stronger than before. The words were so unusual coming from his lips that for a moment she could only stare. Finally she found her voice again.

“Am I ok?! How can you ask that when you’re…” she trailed off, glancing down at the blood she was kneeling in, “Why…why did you do it?” she blurted. She hadn’t meant to ask that, but it had come out anyway. He stared at her blankly for a moment before a bemused smirk began to tug at his lips.

“I…just didn’t want you to die,” there was a certain dryness to his voice as he quoted the words she said to him not that long ago. Her breath caught in her throat. Was that really possible? He actually cared? She felt another rush of tears begin slipping down her cheeks. She saw his expression grow slightly puzzled.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“You idiot!” she snapped, her voice watery. Then she slipped her arms around his neck and leaned down to lock him in a hug. “Don’t you dare die!” she whispered fiercely. She felt him chuckle weakly.

“Give me a little credit. I may be human now, but I’m not that fragile,” he retorted, “Just try not to lean on the knife,” his voice held a note of strained amusement. She gasped and hastily pulled back.

“I’m sorry! Are you ok?” she asked anxiously. He coughed slightly and winced.

“I’m just peachy,” he sounded a little pained. At the sight of her distraught expression he flashed her a weak grin, “You really need to stop asking stupid questions,” his voice amused. Then his eyes slid shut for a moment, his expression strained. Elsie stared down at him helplessly. She didn’t know how to help. Her small amount of first aid knowledge was limited to cleaning and bandaging wounds. She’d never been all that interested in medically related things. Now she was kicking herself severely for not learning more when she’d had the chance.

“He’s awake?” Edward’s voice drew her attention briefly. The young alchemist had paused near the two of them on his way back from letting Wrath out. Elsie nodded, sniffing slightly and wiping at the tears with the back of her hand. He stared at Envy for a moment, an uncertain expression playing across his features. Then he turned on his heel and swiftly rejoined his still unconscious brother. She turned back to Envy and found his eyes open again, gaze resting on her steadily.

“What happened to Dante?” he asked. Elsie blinked. Dante…? Then the realization stuck her. Of course! Who else would the attacker have been? Wrath had said Dante was out to kill her after all, it only made sense. She glanced around swiftly. The only other people she could see in the warehouse were Edward and his brother. Aside from that the place was empty. She turned back to the injured teen, a feeling of puzzlement filling her.

“It looks like…she’s gone,” she told him. Envy frowned, and then his expression grew thoughtful.

“Edward’s in one piece then?” he inquired. Elsie felt her eyes widen in surprise at what sounded a bit like concern. Abruptly the teen scowled. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” he muttered darkly, then coughed again and grimaced. “It’s just…the sacrifice…for equivalent exchange… ask him about it later,” he told her vaguely. He let out a pained breath and closed his eyes again, discomfort lining his features. Elsie watched him for a moment before reaching out and slipping her hand into his. His eyes flickered partway open and met her concerned gaze questioningly.

“Just hang in there, ok?” she whispered. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Heh,” he smirked faintly before letting his eyes slip shut again.

Silence rained in the warehouse for a while. Elsie watched Envy’s steady shallow breathing. It felt like the only thing in the world still holding her together. If he died because of her… she couldn’t even contemplate it. There was no way she could cope with another death on her conscience. She tried to take some comfort from the fact that his color didn’t appear to be getting any worse. The bleeding had obviously slowed a great deal. In the brief lull where her attention wasn’t completely consumed by the chance of his demise, the full impact of her immediate surroundings began to sink in. She was very grateful not to be bothered by blood; because she was currently kneeling in a puddle of it. It had soaked into her clothes and covered her hands, splattering up her arms. The coppery smell of it was thick in the air. It was doing nothing to help with her headache.

Then she heard Edward gasp.

“Alphonse? Al?!” he cried, his voice painfully worried, yet hopeful. Elsie glanced over at the two boys.

“…Ed?” the voice was so faint she almost couldn’t hear it from where she sat. But judging by Edward’s cry of joy, Al was indeed awake and alive. She felt a little blossom of relief inside of her. So the transmutation really had been a success. She could hear Ed urgently inquiring after his wellbeing: Could he feel his body normally? Did it hurt anywhere? Did he feel okay? Al’s responses were too soft to make out but since Ed’s expression grew relieved she figured he must be doing alright. 

“Elsie,” her gaze returned swiftly to the boy in front of her. He was staring at her again.

“What is it?” She prompted gently.

“I think…I’m starting to understand,” a thoughtful frown creased his brow. Elsie stared at him blankly.

“Understand what?” she asked. The vagueness of his statement left her a little lost. He smiled slightly and shook his head.

“Never mind,” his eyes slipped shut again. Elsie stared down at him with a slight frown of her own. She wanted to press him for an explanation, but she didn’t want to pester him in his current condition.

A moment later his cryptic statement was forgotten as the door to the warehouse slid open with a loud, grinding screech. Elsie jumped in surprise, and turned to see Wrath dart through the door towards her.

“I brought help,” he panted, coming to a halt beside her. He stared down at Envy, worry written all over his young face, “Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” Elsie assured him, “He’s just resting.”

“Can’t kill me off that easily squirt,” Envy cracked an eye open and gave the younger boy a slight smirk, but his voice was a little strained.

“Who did you bring to help?” Elsie asked anxiously. Wrath glanced back expectantly. Elsie turned to follow his gaze and felt a wash of surprise. Four figures had entered the warehouse. She recognized the first one as Izumi, followed by her husband Sig. Two unfamiliar men dressed in military uniforms and carrying stretchers followed behind them. She assumed they must be army medics.

“Edward,” Izumi called. The young alchemist glanced up in surprise to see his teacher approaching. “How is Alphonse?”

“He’s ok, but he’s very weak at the moment. What are you doing here?” he sounded almost bewildered.

“Wrath found me and explained what happened,” she said matter-of-factly, before her expression darkened, “You boys are in for a serious lecture after this!” Ed visibly quavered at the tone of her voice. She turned and crossed the distance to where Envy lay, coming to a stop beside Elsie and Wrath.

“How is he?” she inquired, her tone serious as she surveyed the injured teen before her. Elsie blinked, realizing she was the one who had to answer the intimidating woman.

“He’s been conscious and talking, but he’s lost a lot of blood” she said, glancing back down at Envy anxiously. His eyes were closed, but she could see his chest rising and falling slightly.

“I can see that,” Izumi said. She turned and waved one of the medics over with a stretcher. Sig followed close behind. “I’d like to wait and remove the knife at the hospital,” She turned back towards Elsie. The dark hair girl nodded. That made sense… “Are you injured at all?” the older woman asked, looking over the blood splattered girl critically.

“No I’m fine. The blood is all from Envy,” Elsie replied. A moment later the young, brown haired medic arrived. He laid the stretcher down alongside the injured teen and crouched down to check his pulse.

“I’m still awake,” Envy’s eyes flickered open.

“Good,” the man’s voice was light and reassuring, “We’re just going to move you onto the stretcher and take you out to the truck. It might jostle a little but we’ll try to be as careful as we can,” he told him apologetically.

“Just do what you need to do,” the teen muttered. The medic looked him over for a moment, clearly trying to determine the best way to move the boy.

“Allow me,” Sig’s deep, rumbling voice made Elsie jump slightly. The towering man approached the teen and leaned over him, carefully lifting him in his arms as if he were only a small child. He set him down on the stretcher with surprising care before straightening up once more. “I’ll help you move him,” he told the younger man. The medic nodded, and moved to one end of the stretcher. Together the two of them lifted it carefully and proceeded to carry the boy away towards the door. Elsie watched them go, feeling a little lost. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. Her head was still pounding and it was difficult to think straight.

“Why don’t you go with them,” Elsie realized with a start that Izumi was addressing her again, “There’s enough room for all of us in the medical truck. You can wait there while we get Al moved,” her voice was gentle but firm. Elsie nodded slowly. She scrambled unsteadily to her feet as Izumi strolled away towards where the two young alchemists and the other medic were. Elsie let out a slow breath. She must’ve looked a little shaken up, because she felt Wrath slip a hand into hers. She glanced down at the younger boy and he gave her hand a slight squeeze.

“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine now,” he reassured her, his large blue eyes filled with an endearing optimism. Elsie stared at him a moment before a weak smile pulled at her lips.

“Thanks,” she told him gratefully. He smiled and released her hand, turning to follow after his mother. She watched him go for a moment before drawing in a deep breath and setting off purposefully towards the warehouse door which the two men and Envy had just disappeared through.

A little over an hour later, Elsie found herself sitting on a hard, waiting room chair in a narrow hallway. The floors and walls were grey and white, devoid of any color. The telltale smell of disinfectants filled the air. Nurses and doctors dressed in equally sterile looking attire blew past without sparing her a second’s glance. It seemed hospitals in this world weren’t much different from the ones back in her world. Granted, she wasn’t in the psychiatric wing so perhaps it wasn’t an accurate comparison... But it only served to remind her how little she cared for these places.

After it had been determined that she was uninjured, the nurses had brushed her aside and left her to wait out in the hall. They’d put Envy in the room across from her. A doctor was still in with him but the curtain was drawn on the door and she had no idea how things were going. She just hoped they would let her in soon. Her entire body ached with fatigue and her head was still throbbing. It had to be a side effect from the transmutation. She was fighting the urge to fall asleep in her chair.

“You’re still waiting here?” the familiar voice drew her out of her thoughts. She turned to see Izumi come to a stop by her chair. Elsie nodded slowly. It was still somewhat shocking to see Ed and Al’s teacher in person. She’d adjusted to being around Envy and Wrath, and was beginning to adjust to Ed, but it would be a while before she could wrap her head around the idea that she was conversing with Izumi Curtis. “Mind if I sit with you?” the older woman asked. Elsie blinked.

“Not at all,” she murmured. Izumi sank into the chair next to her. There was a brief silence before Elsie glanced at her curiously. “Where’s Wrath?” she asked.

“He’s with his father,” Izumi’s expression softened for a moment, then grew neutral as her gaze met Elsie’s, “That boy,” She glanced at Envy’s room, “How was he injured?”

“He...was protecting me,” The dark haired girl’s voice was slightly pained. Izumi frowned.

“From who?”

“Dante,” Elsie shuttered at the memory of the fetid woman. She’d only gotten a brief glance at her but the image remained in her mind. Izumi’s brows rose in understanding.

“I see,” her voice was grave. Then she smiled slightly. “You must be Elsie then,” The younger girl nodded. “My name is Izumi. I’m Wrath’s mother,” Izumi explained.

“I know,” Elsie returned the smile.

“Thank you for looking after my boy. From what he says, it sounds like he’s pretty attached to you,” The older woman’s expression was warm. Elsie was taken a little off guard, cheeks coloring slightly.

“Oh…you’re welcome…but, we looked after each other really. He’s a really good kid,” she said, feeling slightly sheepish. Izumi chuckled softly.

“I’m glad to hear it,” then her expression grew serious once more, “Did he tell you why Dante was after you?” Elsie nodded. Izumi’s gaze flicked to the door of Envy’s room as she contemplated something.

“How much do you know about that boy?” it was clear from her tone she was now speaking of Envy. Elsie hesitated a moment. How much had Wrath explained to his mother about their situation?

“Quite a bit,” she ventured hesitantly. Izumi raised an eyebrow at her.

“Then you’re aware of his past?” she asked. Elsie frowned.

“Yes but…he’s not—” Izumi cut her off with a shake of her head.

“You don’t need to convince me he’s changed. I only need to look at my own son to see the effect humanity has on one-time homunculi. That aside, the Envy I was acquainted with wasn’t a creature given to self-sacrifice,” Izumi explained carefully, “I only wondered if you knew of his true identity,” Elsie released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. So Izumi was already on their side…

“You mean about him being Dante and Hoenheim’s son?” she asked uncertainly. Izumi stared at her for a moment, appearing almost…stunned. 

“I see,” her expression grew bemused, “I didn’t realize there was a blood relationship…but then I suppose that only makes sense…” Elsie blinked in surprised.

“You mean you didn’t know?” She’d assumed Izumi would know all about Dante and her son.

“I knew he was a boy brought back by Hoenhiem. I didn’t realize he was their son,” Izumi explained. Elsie nodded slowly. She supposed that made sense. Envy and Dante hadn’t exactly broadcast an obvious mother-son relationship. She reached up to rub her eye as another wave of fatigue washed over her. Man she was tired. She grimaced as dried blood flaked off her hand and rained down onto her lap.

“I hope the doctors finish with him soon,” she commented, glancing at the door again anxiously.

“I’m sure you’ll get to see him soon enough. In the meantime, why don’t we get you cleaned up?” Izumi suggested, “Dried blood isn’t particularly comfortable or flattering. I’ve got some clothes that might fit you back at the hotel. It isn’t far from here,” Elsie glanced uncertainly at the room in front of her, and then back at Izumi.

“Is there a shower there?” she enquired. A smirk tugged at the older woman’s lips. 

“Yes.”

“…Alright. Thank you,” Elsie said gratefully. Ultimately there wasn’t anything she could do for Envy right this second. And at the moment the offer of an actual shower and clean clothes was simply too tempting to pass up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Showers... sometimes they're more important than an injured male love interest. XD


	23. Realization

When Envy’s eyes flickered open the first thing he beheld was an unfamiliar white ceiling. Morning light streamed in from a window off to his right. He blinked several times, his thoughts churning through the sleepy fog in his brain. Where was he and why was he here? When he attempted to sit up, both questions were answered simultaneously. The sharp stab of pain in his side made him grimace and sink back against the white pillows and sheets. He remembered now. He was in the hospital. Again. The beds weren’t any more comfortable here than they’d been in the last one. He cast a glance down at himself and took note of the fact that he was clothed in a pair of loose, grey pants, likely provided by the hospital. A white bandage was wrapped around his torso, and glancing to the side he found a fresh white bandage on his shoulder as well.

“Hey, you’re awake,” a soft but friendly voice by the side of his bed drew his attention with a start. He hadn’t noticed the boy sitting in a chair next to him. He looked maybe a year or so younger than Envy’s own appearance. His features were rather familiar, but the golden eyes were unmistakable. If the equally golden stubble atop his head were a foot or so longer he could almost be mistaken for Edward.

“Alphonse?” he asked, just to be sure. The boy smiled.

“That’s me,” he said cheerfully. His voice was still soft, despite his apparent enthusiasm. Envy looked at him a little closer. The boy was paler than he would have expected. And something about the focus of his eyes and the slightly sunken appearance of his cheeks made him look a bit ill…or just very tired. He was thin, although not necessarily unhealthily so. He looked…fragile.

“Is everything working alright? With the soul attachment I mean,” Envy inquired, raising an eyebrow uncertainly. Al nodded.

“As far as we can tell it is. Teacher thinks it’ll just take time for my soul to adjust to the new body and for the body to build up strength,” he explained. Envy nodded slowly. It was odd seeing the tin can in a functioning human body. He hadn’t really expected they’d ever find a way to do it. “I sent Elsie down to get breakfast with brother. She stayed with you all night,” Al told him. Envy blinked, picturing the dark haired girl in his mind’s eye. She hadn’t needed to do that. She might as well have gotten some rest. It wasn’t as if he’d been able to appreciate the company while he was unconscious.

“I’m never going to understand her,” he sounded mildly exasperated. Al chuckled softly.

“She just wanted to be with you. I think you really scared her,” he said. Envy rolled his eyes.

“I should really be insulted that she thinks I’m so weak,” he retorted.

“She just cares about you is all,” Al said with a knowing smile. Envy let out a sigh.

“I know. And if the feeling wasn’t mutual I wouldn’t be in this damn situation,” he muttered. In reality, he didn’t have a lot to complain about. His side was only mildly aching and his shoulder wasn’t bothering him at all. The doctors must have given him some painkillers.

“So Envy,” Al’s voice was abruptly casual, “How much do you care about Elsie?” Envy blinked in surprise, and then gave him a flat look.

“I just let myself get stabbed for her. What kind of question is that?” he demanded. Al appeared slightly sheepish.

“Well, what I mean is…oh, how do I put this…do you like her?” the younger boy asked. Envy stared at him blankly.

“I sort of thought it was a given that you like the people you care about…” he trailed off sounding puzzled. Al rested his face in his hand and chuckled again.

“That’s not what I meant,” he smirked slightly. When Envy continued to stare at him in blankly Al shook his head. “Never mind, don’t worry about it,” he smiled. The green haired teen regarded him suspiciously for a moment. He didn’t like being left in the dark about something he obviously should know... Then a thought occurred to him.

“So Al,” he began, mimicking the other boy’s casual tone, “Do you remember that discussion back at the hotel room? The one I told Elsie I’d ask you about once you got your body back?” A surprised expression crossed over Al’s face, and then he grinned again.

“If you don’t understand what I was just asking you, then I’m not sure you’re going to understand that either,” he informed the older teen.

“Try me,” Envy replied flatly.

“Well,” Al seemed to be trying to come up with some sort of explanation, “Let’s just say she likes you more than I think you realize,” he bit his lip, obviously trying to keep a straight face. Envy frowned slightly. He opened his mouth to ask the younger boy to clarify, but the just then the door opened, effectively cutting him off.

The topic of their conversation strolled through the door followed by Ed. She glanced at Envy and her eyes visibly lit up.

“You’re awake!” She cried, darting across the room to the side of his bed. He raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm and gave her a once over before responding. The circles beneath her eyes stood out prominently in her paler than usual face. She looked visibly exhausted. But even so, she’d obviously she’d had a chance to get cleaned up. Her hair was back in its normal sleek curls and she’d found a clean white blouse and dark pants to wear. From her large, green eyes and full lips, to her curves and long dark hair… she certainly shared Lust’s physical attractiveness. It wasn’t something he’d ever really bothered to take notice of before. But for some reason at the moment he was having a hard time not noticing it…

“You look like you stayed up all night,” he commented accusingly, gaze meeting hers once more.

“Well, not quite. I dosed a bit,” she sounded a little sheepish.

“Right…” he sounded skeptical.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, expression growing concerned. Envy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. She sure seemed to ask that a lot.

“Like I’ve been stabbed,” he replied dryly. She blanched.

“You know that isn’t what I meant,” she said chidingly.

“I do?” His voice took on an innocent tone. She made an exasperated sound.

“You’re impossible,” she muttered, glowering at him. He snorted, a smirk playing at his lips. A cough from across the room drew his attention to the blond alchemist.

“For someone who was stabbed, he sounds pretty lively. My bet is he’s just fine,” Ed’s sounded bored.

“What’s it to you pipsqueak?” Envy scowled at the smaller boy. Edward gave him a flat look.

“It isn’t a damn thing to me. But your girlfriend’s been fretting over you all night. The least you could do is reassure her,” he muttered disapprovingly. Envy blinked, his expression wavering before growing puzzled. His girlfriend…? He glanced at Elsie to see she’d suddenly grown quite red.

“Edward!” She hissed, shooting the alchemist a mortified glance. Ed held up his hands defensively, growing sheepish.

“W-what? You’re always so concerned about him I just assumed…” he trailed off as her expression deteriorated further, “Uh…you know what? Forget I said anything,” he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Envy glanced from the alchemist, to Elsie, and back to the alchemist. A strong suspicion was beginning to grow in the back of his mind…especially given what Al had just told him...

“So have you made a decision?” Elsie asked abruptly, expression growing serious as she changed the subject. Ed grew sober. He glanced at Envy, a strange reluctance in his expression. Finally he sighed.

“I’ll talk to Mustang. He should be able to put word in with the higher ups…assuming I can convince him that is. I think with Teacher’s support I might be able to sway him,” he sounded resigned. Elsie’s seriousness melted into relief. She crossed the room swiftly and abruptly wrapped the shorter boy in a hug. Ed stiffened up, eyes widening and Envy’s eyebrows shot up. Elsie pulled back quickly.

“Thank you!” she grinned gratefully at him. Ed smiled back awkwardly.

“Uh… you’re welcome…I think…” he glanced at Envy again uncertainly. The green haired teen frowned, eyes narrowing. He didn’t have a clue what they were talking about, but he could feel the stirrings of an extremely familiar emotion. In fact, it was the one he was most familiar with... Although why her affection toward the smaller boy irritated him he wasn’t quite sure… He glanced at Elsie again, growing thoughtful.

“Envy!” A small, dark, blur raced through the door and across the room, launching itself at the teen in an awkward tackle-hug. Envy gave a pained groan as he was crushed into his pillows by the forward momentum of the small boy.

“What the hell squirt?” he wheezed, “Are you _trying_ to kill me?” he demanded irritably.

“Sorry,” Wrath grinned, not appearing particularly apologetic. Envy glowered at the younger boy as he slipped back down to the floor.

“I see you’re finally awake,” Envy glanced up to see the voice came from a woman standing at the door. The dark dreadlocks pulled back from her face, the sleeveless white jacket and black capris… they were all vaguely familiar. He frowned in confusion. Where had he seen her before…? Then his eyes widened in recognition. He’d stolen the squirt right out of her arms some time ago when he’d been disguised as the Furor. She had to be the kid’s mother. “I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced. My name is Izumi Curtis,” her voice was clear, her gaze even.

“Envy,” he replied warily. He’d never been much for formalities. Izumi nodded, closing the door behind her and strolling into the room to stand by Alphonse. Wrath moved away from the bed to stand next to the older woman, leaning slightly against her side as she slipped an arm around his shoulders. Standing together like that Envy could definitely see the family resemblance. Although Wrath’s sudden friendliness towards the woman took him off guard a little. Last time he’d checked the boy had chosen Sloth in lieu of his real mother… 

“Elsie tells me you got injured saving her from Dante. Do you know what became of the woman after she stabbed you?” Izumi asked.

“That old hag?” Envy scoffed, “How should I know? I blacked out after she stabbed me. When I woke up she’d disappeared,” Izumi frowned, obviously troubled by the news.

“I think I know what happened to her,” Ed’s voice was unusually glum. Everyone’s gazes fixed on him.

“Brother?” Alphonse leaned forward slightly, and anxious frown creasing his brow.

“Elsie,” Ed glanced at the dark haired girl standing next to him, “Remember how you asked me about what I was exchanging for the transmutation of the souls?” The girl nodded.

“You said not to worry about it; that you had it under control,” she recalled. Ed sighed.

“What I had planned to do was use my own soul as payment in exchange for rearranging your souls,” Elsie’s eyes widened in alarm and Izumi’s expression hardened.

“Brother!” Al cried, sounding appalled.

“Since you’re still here, obviously that isn’t what ended up happening,” his teacher commented crisply. Ed nodded. He looked a little lost, his gaze desolate.

“When Dante entered the circle she got caught up in the transmutation. And for whatever reason it used her as payment instead of me. Essentially I killed her,” his voice was hoarse. There was a brief silence, his words hanging in the air.

“I see,” Izumi said finally, “Well that certainly solves that problem.” Ed nodded numbly. Envy shook his head at the obvious cloud now hanging over the boy.

“I wouldn’t waste time feeling guilty about it if I were you,” he advised unconcernedly, “The old hag had it coming to her. She was a dead woman anyway.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I killed her,” Ed replied stiffly.

“Oh get over yourself,” Envy snapped, “You killed Greed as well if I remember correctly.” The golden boy blanched. “Besides. You saved her from the even more unpleasant death of slowly rotting to pieces. That was the death she deserved really,” Envy muttered. 

“Envy is right. Dante was alive long past her time through stealing the bodies of others. It wasn’t your intent to kill her and her death certainly isn’t a tragedy. Don’t lose any sleep over it,” Izumi advised. Ed didn’t appear convinced, but he didn’t argue. “Now, with that concern out of the way, there is another issue we need to address. Namely, the future of you two boys,” she glanced at Envy and then Wrath. Envy frowned.

“What do you mean?” his tone was wary.

“As far as I’m aware the two of you are considered enemies of the state,” Izumi replied, “Regardless of your now human condition, unless we come up with an arrangement with the military neither of you will be allowed to walk free,” Envy’s frown deepened. That news was less than thrilling.

“Why is that a concern of yours?” he asked guardedly.

“Because I wish to keep my son with me and not in a prison cell,” she replied curtly, “Both Wrath and Elsie wish you to remain free and have vouched for you. So I’m willing to try to obtain your freedom was well.” Envy stared at her. Humans were certainly interesting creatures. This woman wished to help him, not because she cared for, or even liked him, but because someone she cared about happened to care about him. 

“Alright,” he conceded, “So what do you suggest? I somehow doubt apologizing and promising to be a good boy from here on out is going to convince anyone,” sarcasm was evident in his tone.

“As I said earlier,” Edward spoke up, “I’ll talk to Mustang and see if I can get him to pull some strings. Not many people know about the homunculi to begin with, so we really only need to involve the ones that are familiar with you directly. No one else would even recognize either of you,” he explained, sounding resigned.

“I don’t know Mustang personally, but I’ll see what I can do to help. We’ll get something arranged, whatever it takes,” Izumi promised, glancing down at the dark haired boy clinging to her, “In the meantime, the five of you need to take this chance to rest up,” her gaze swept around the room to each of them, “All of you have been through a lot recently, and on top of that the transmutation you just went through is hard on your bodies. It will take some time for you to recover,” Envy sighed inwardly. That meant more sitting and waiting in a boring, uncomfortable ‘hotel’, where people in funny uniforms would poke and prod and give him pills. Not his idea of a good time. He’d had more than enough of that on the other side of the gate.

“You know, for once we just might take that advice,” Ed sounded tiredly amused. He did look exhausted; much like everyone else in the room. Envy had to admit the lady was right when she said the transmutation had taken a lot out of them. Izumi smiled slightly.

“Good. There are some things I need to take care of, so I’ll be back later to check in on things,” She glanced down at the boy next to her, “Wrath, would you like to stay here or come with me?” she inquired. The dark haired boy glanced up at her, then at Envy, and then back at her. Finally his gaze moved to rest questioningly on Elsie. The older girl smiled at him.

“Why don’t you go with your mother? I’ll stay here and keep this meanie out of trouble,” Elsie suggested amusedly, glancing at Envy. The teen snorted. He’d like to see her try to keep him out of anything. Although…in his current condition she might actually be able to manage it… Wrath nodded and turned back to his mother.

“I’ll go with you,” he told her gravely. She smiled down at him, eyes lighting up with an affection that took Envy by surprise. He might not be very familiar with the concept, but there was no mistaking the love in that gaze. And for the first time in as long as he could remember, the sight of it didn’t alienate him. He couldn’t say he’d felt it quite like that, since affection wasn’t really a strong suit of his; but he had grown attached to the brat. As annoying as he could be at times, he’d started to like having the kid around.

He felt an unfamiliar pang of regret at the realization that Wrath would be going off to stay with his mother soon. The kid had someone else to take care of him now, so there wouldn’t be any need for him to stick around. So Envy would be left behind. Again. Realistically, even if the military did grant them their freedom, he didn’t have a clue where he’d go. There really wasn’t anything left for him to pursue. What exactly was the point to his existence now? He’d run into this problem not that long ago. But then someone had showed up and lectured him… his gaze drifted to the dark haired girl on the other side of the room. She was watching the mother and son with a wistful expression. He recognized the longing in those green eyes. He wasn’t the only one with no place to go…

_Because… he’s all I’ve got left…_

Maybe he understood her better than he’d realized. He’d always thought that human reliance on friendships and companionship was just a weakness… but it was starting to make sense to him now. He watched Wrath take the older woman’s hand and together they strolled out of the room, the door shutting behind them.

“You know, I never thought I’d see him actually accept his real mother,” Ed commented, sounding at a loss for words.

“I’m relieved. He’s still confused by it, but he’s realized he needs her in his life. He’s lucky to have her,” Elsie replied. There was a slight smile on her face but her voice was a little hollow. Envy watched her curiously. She was as bothered by the subject of mothers as the squirt had been in her own way.

“Brother,” Al’s voice was low and unhappy. Their three gazes were drawn to him. “I can’t believe you would have sacrificed yourself like that,” his tone was accusing.

“It’s my fault you lost your body in the first place Al. It was my job to make sure you got it back,” Ed replied firmly.

“It isn’t your job to throw your life away!” Al’s voice cracked slightly as it rose, “Not for me! What’s the point in me getting my body back if I lose you?” he demanded. Ed appeared a little taken aback by his brother’s severity.

“Well I had to do something or I’d lose you,” he protested.

“And how exactly does you dying prevent that? Even if I regained my body, you’d be gone,” Al pointed out exasperatedly. Ed wavered, and then sighed in defeat.

“I’m sorry Al. I should have talked to you about it. But now that you have your body back there’s no danger of having to go through that again,” Ed replied, clearly wanting to make peace with his younger brother. Al glared him for a moment before his expression finally grew resigned.

“You’re right. But you really need to stop being so reckless!” he said firmly. Ed chuckled slightly at the familiar criticism. 

“Edward?” A new voice at the door drew everyone’s attention. Envy raised his eyebrows. His room sure seemed to be a popular place to be. The newest visitor was a girl close to Elsie’s age, with long blond hair and lively blue eyes.

“Winry…” Ed sounded a little taken aback.

“Edward, where’s Al?” She asked anxiously, taking a step forward as her eyes scanned the room for what was likely a large suit of armor.

“I’m right here,” Al grinned slightly at his childhood friend. Winry’s gaze landed on him and she froze, eyes growing wide.

“Al…?” her voice was barely more than a whisper. Alphonse nodded. It seemed to be taking her a while to process this new information. Then suddenly she was across the room in the blink of an eye, throwing her arms around the younger teen and nearly knocking him off his chair.

“I can’t believe it, it’s really you!” she cried, her voice was watery as tears sprang to her eyes, “You really did it. You got your body back!” she sounded as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. Al chuckled as she pulled back to look at him.

“It’s all thanks to brother. He’s the one who pulled off the transmutation,” Al explained. The blond girl turned towards the other boy.

“Wait, did you get your body back too?” she inquired. Ed smiled bemusedly.

“No, just Al. So you aren’t rid of my automail maintenance just yet,” he told her dryly.

“Good! If you didn’t need me for automail you’d probably never come see me,” she shot back accusingly. Then she glanced around the room and seemed to realize for the first time that there were two other occupants.

“Wait, who…?” she paused, staring at Envy blankly. Then suddenly she grew pale. “Ed, isn’t that…?” her voice was wary. The blond alchemist sighed.

“Yes, that’s Envy,” he confirmed. Winry drew in a sharp breath.

“Why is he here?” She demanded, giving the green haired teen a suspicious look. Envy smirked at the girl’s unease. He wondered what exactly the pipsqueak had told her about him to make her so nervous.

“It’s…complicated. But he’s not our enemy now,” Ed shot him a skeptical glance, “As far as we can tell anyway.” Envy rolled his eyes.

“But, are you sure it’s safe to trust him?” she asked uncertainly.

“Do you have to talk about me as if I’m not in the room?” Envy demanded flatly. Her gaze darted to him in surprise but she didn’t respond.

“He’s human now, so he isn’t as much of a threat as he used to be,” Ed reassured her. She didn’t appear convinced but her gaze moved to Elsie.

“Who are you?” She asked, a frown creasing her brow.

“I’m Elsie,” the dark haired girl gave her a slight smile, “I’m…well, I’ve been tagging along with Envy since he became human,” she explained. Envy glanced at her. She obviously wasn’t sure how to explain about the other side of the gate to the blond girl.

“I see…” Winry replied, clearly not sure what to make of the pair of them. Her gaze trailed back to Alphonse, and then flicked to the small blond alchemist. “Ed, what exactly happened?” She frowned, “Last time I saw the two of you, you were headed off in disguise on a mission you refused to talk about.” Ed shifted uneasily.

“It’s complicated… and it’s over with now anyway. Besides, it doesn’t concern you,” his tone was cool and reserved as he glanced idly across the room, away from the blond girl. Winry blinked in surprise. Then her fists clenched and she growled under her breath. Without warning she stalked across the room and slapped him resoundingly. He reeled back, eyes widening in shock as he was completely taken off guard. Al gasped at the girl’s uncharacteristic form of violence. Perhaps she’d forgotten to bring her wrench…

“You idiot!” she snapped, her voice shaky again, “All I ever do is worry about you and you never tell me anything! You go off on your missions, and I never know if I’m going to see you again. I watch you leave and wonder if I’m seeing you for the last time, like I saw my parents walking away when they left for Ishbal,” tears had started to slip down her cheeks again, “I try to support you, I look after your automail, I pour my heart and soul into coming up with newer, better designs to help you with your quests, and all you do is shun me and constantly keep me in the dark,” she accused. Ed looked completely blindsided by his friend’s outburst. He seemed unable to find words to respond. “I tell myself you just don’t want to involve me in your problems; you’re just trying to keep me safe. But now that everything’s said and done and you’ve gotten Al’s body back and everything is over…how can you tell me that?! Don’t I deserve to know what happened to you? About all those times you left without any explanation? Or do all the years I spent looking after you mean nothing?” she demanded, not bothering to wipe the moisture off her cheeks as she stared him down. Ed gaped at her for a moment, before he finally seemed to remember how to breathe.

“Winry…I-I’m sorry…I didn’t…I never meant …I never realized …” He stammered, obviously flustered. Envy raised his eyebrows. He’d never seen the pipsqueak look so…bewildered.

“You idiot,” Winry whispered. Then she threw her arms around the stunned alchemist, burying her face in his shoulder as she began to cry. Ed looked utterly frozen for a moment, eyes wide with confusion and uncertainty. Envy almost laughed. For once, he could actually identify with the runt. Crying girls and hugs were obviously just as unfamiliar a territory for Ed as they’d been for him. Finally the blond alchemist wrapped an arm around the distraught girl, reaching up to stroke her hair uncertainly. 

“I’m sorry Winry,” his voice was soft, but firm, “I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” She pulled back slightly and sniffed.

“You really mean that?” She asked. He nodded gravely. She smiled at him through the tears, then reached up and carefully touched his reddened cheek. “I’m sorry for slapping you,” she sounded a little guilty. He gave a sheepish laugh.

“Yeah well…I probably deserved it,” he tone was bemused. They stared at each other a moment, separated by inches. Winry’s expression grew expectantly hopeful. Ed’s cheeks abruptly grew pink and his eyes flicked to the side nervously. “So umm…I think my automail is probably in need of a tune up,” his voice was slightly higher than normal as he quickly changed the subject. Winry visibly wilted and then sighed, pulling back with a resigned smile.

“Alright, let’s get to work on that,” Not waiting for a response she grabbed his arm and began dragging him towards the door.

“W-wait…right now?!” Ed sounded startled.

“Well why not? I’m here aren’t I?” she retorted. He looked like he was about to object, but a pointed glance from the blond girl shut him up.

“Fine…” he sounded defeated. The two of them disappeared through the door a moment later.

There was silence in the room for a moment, before Elsie let out an exasperated sigh.

“When is he going to bite the bullet and kiss her already?” She demanded of no one in particular, “He’s so blind,” she sounded disgusted. Al chuckled.

“That’s brother for you. He’ll come around eventually,” he replied. Elsie glanced at him skeptically.

“Hopefully while they’re still young enough to have children,” she muttered. Al smirked.

“From the looks of it if he takes much longer making up his mind that girl is going to make it up for him,” Envy commented idly.

“Well…Winry is pretty stubborn. But I think if she made the first move Ed might run away screaming,” Al sounded amused. Envy snorted.

“Poor girl,” Elsie murmured. There was a brief silence again before Al glanced from Elsie to Envy. Then he carefully rose to his feet.

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to grab breakfast yet. So I think I’ll head down and get some,” he commented quietly.

“Oh! That’s right; you waited here while we got ours. Are you ok to go by yourself, or do you want me to come with you?” Elsie asked, a concerned expression crossing her face. Al smiled.

“I’ll be just fine. You should stay here and keep Envy company till the nurses deliver his breakfast,” he told her, strolling slowly across the room to the door “You can have my chair,” he gave her a knowing smile.

“Oh, okay…thanks,” There was a slight edge to her voice and her cheeks turned slightly pink. Al grinned before slipping out the door and leaving the two of them alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As out of character is it may seem, I rather like Al as a matchmaker lol.
> 
> And yeah, Envy's pretty clueless. He's finally starting to catch on though. ;) Next chapter is the chapter you've been waiting for if you've been wanting some actual EnvyxElsie. It's also the last chapter of the story I'm sad to say...(Well, there's still an epilogue). Luckily it's one of the longest chapters in the story. Lots of loose ends to tie up.


	24. Love

Elsie stared at the door for a moment before turning to glance uncertainly at the green haired teen. Envy raised his eyebrows.

“I won’t bite,” he promised dryly. She rolled her eyes.

“Like I believe that,” she retorted. Turning, she crossed the room and took a seat in the now free chair by the bed.

“Hey, I’ve never bitten you before,” he said defensively. She snorted.

“Not in the literal sense,” she replied dryly, “Although I wouldn’t put it past you…” He gave her a flat look.

“You know, that’s rich coming from you.”

“What do you mean?” she frowned.

“Shall I count the number of times you’ve lectured me since we met?” Envy raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Hey, I've only lectured you when you were in obvious need of it,” she replied indignantly. Envy rolled his eyes.

“Right…”

“Hey, at least I don’t beat on you with wrenches like Winry does to Ed,” she retorted. Envy raised his eyebrows, having difficulty picturing the dark haired girl beating on anyone, let alone him.

“It’d be interesting to see you try,” he smirked. Her expression slipped into a glare.

“Shut up,” she muttered.

“Speaking of the pipsqueak…I always knew he was an idiot. But sacrificing himself for that transmutation…really how stupid could he be?” his tone was perplexed. Elsie smiled bemusedly.

“This coming from the guy who threw himself in front of a knife to protect me,” she pointed out softly. Envy frowned.

“That’s different…”

“I’m sure…” Elsie raised an eyebrow, not really sounding convinced, “But in any case, it makes perfect sense to me.”

“How so?” he demanded.

“Well, it’s a win-win for him. If the transmutation worked then Al would get his body back. If it failed and we all died, then he would die too and wouldn’t have to face the guilt and loneliness of being left behind,” she explained, her tone suggesting she thought it was obvious. Envy regarded her thoughtfully. Put like that…it did kind of make sense.

“I suppose…” he glanced across the room at the window. Judging by the view of the city their room was on the second or third floor of the building. There was a perfect spot for sitting on the windowsill and the sun was coming in at just the right angle. He pushed back his sheets and carefully slid his legs over the edge of the bed.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Elsie quickly stood up.

“Oh relax, would you? I’m not going to keel over and die,” he muttered, slowly easing his way into a standing position. His side ached a little more sharply from the movement but aside from that he appeared to be fine. He glanced at the dark haired girl who was hovering anxiously. “I’m not an invalid. I’m tired of lying around like one,” he grumped. She sighed in resignation.

Turning back to the window, he slowly strolled over to it. He came to a stop in the pool of sunlight and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of warmth seeping into his tired body. Simple things like this had never been so enjoyable before. The sun, wind and rain had had little effect on his old form. And while it could be extremely inconvenient, this human body had given him a new kind of sensitivity and awareness which he’d never experienced before. He felt a presence next to him and opened his eyes to see Elsie standing beside him, gazing out over the city. She seemed the most relaxed he’d seen her in quite a while, but he sensed a lingering unease beneath the calm exterior. Something was bothering her.

“It’s so strange,” she commended quietly.

“What is?” he turned slightly so he could lean against the window sill and watch her.

“Being here,” she replied, “I haven’t really had a chance to stop and think about it since we got here.” Envy blinked. He’d almost forgotten she was used to living in a very different world from this one. He hummed thoughtfully.

“Do you regret tagging along when I asked you to help us escape?” he asked curiously. She blinked in surprise.

“No, not at all! There wasn’t much left for me in my old world anyway,” she smiled sadly, “Although…I’m not sure what to do now that I’m here,” some of the uncertainty he’d sensed before crept into her expression. He chuckled slightly and she glanced at him.

“You and me both. I never planned on becoming human you know. I have no idea how to live like this,” he sounded less than enthused by the idea.

“Well…so far I’d say you’re off to a pretty good start,” her tone was encouraging.

“Hn,” he wasn’t convinced. 

“You should have a little more faith in yourself. You’re pretty darn adaptable,” she told him matter-of-factly. He stared at her as she glanced back out the window. Why was she always so nice to him? He didn’t feel like complaining about it anymore since he was staring to realize he actually rather liked it. But it was still puzzling.

She sighed, gaze falling down to stare at her hands resting on the sill. A lock of hair fell forward obstructing the view of her face. His hand twitched, suddenly feeling the very strong impulse to reach out and brush the dark strands away.

“I guess I should start figuring out where to go from here… I’m staying with Izumi at the hotel but when she goes home I’ll have to find somewhere else,” she frowned, “I don’t really have any money that would be accepted here. I suppose I could try finding a job somewhere…” Envy’s eyes widened a little. It sounded as if she planned on heading off on her own... Although, that didn’t make much sense given how much she didn’t want to be alone. 

“Why don’t you come with me?” He suggested. She glanced at him in surprise.

“Where are you going?” she asked curiously. He shrugged.

“I have no idea. But after the last couple days I would’ve thought you’d have figured out that walking around by yourself isn’t a good idea... Or are you that desperate to get away from me?” there was an edge to the dryness of his tone that betrayed his concern. She blinked, and then smiled a little sheepishly.

“That’s not it at all. I just didn’t know if you’d still want me around after the transmutation was finished,” she explained. He sighed in exasperation.

“I didn’t save you just so you could run off and get yourself killed some other way,” he told her bluntly. She stared at him for a moment before a frown crept onto her face and she glanced away. “What is it?” he demanded. She opened her mouth to reply and then shut it again, shaking her head slightly. Finally her gaze returned to him uncertainly.

“I guess…I’m just confused. I don’t understand…” when she trailed off he raised an eyebrow. She sighed. “I don’t understand why you saved me,” she admitted. He watched her for a moment, observing the mix of bewilderment and uncertainty playing across her features. There was a hint of hopefulness there as well. He smiled wryly. It was interesting to have _her_ asking him why _he_ cared. And when he thought about her question, he realized that he already knew the answer. Although it wasn’t one he’d ever thought he would give. He swallowed uncertainly and glanced down at the windowsill, feeling a very unusual thrill of nerves. He could still hear her words from several days ago playing through his mind.

“I guess… I care about your wellbeing more than my own,” his voice was softer than before, “I don’t want to live without you…” he glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her green eyes grow wide as she stared at him. He’d never seen her look quite so stunned. He almost chuckled. She finally seemed to find her voice again.

“Envy…I don’t understand… What are you saying?” her voice fell to barely more than a whisper. She sounded almost…scared. Like she desperately wanted to believe him but was afraid he’d end up laughing in her face and saying he’d just been kidding. He smiled bemusedly. He couldn’t really blame her. Even he wasn’t entirely sure of himself at the moment. He was going out on a limb here. He lifted his gaze to hers and held it. It was a risk… one he’d promised himself he wouldn’t take. But the last month had changed him and he was tired of being alone. He wasn’t completely sure how she would respond, but the mixture of terrible vulnerability and hope in her eyes reassured him.

“I’m saying that by your definition, I love you,” he told her gently. The last three words slipped off his lips and hung in the air between them, filling it with a strange sort of tension. They were impossible to ignore or take back. But he didn’t want to take them back. Even if he was still lacking a solid understanding of the concept, he was certain they were true.

If he thought she’d been stunned before it was nothing compared to now. Her eyes widened even further and he watched her physically waver. She didn’t seem to be breathing. He half wondered if she’d collapse and he’d end up having to catch her. 

“…But… That’s… I mean, there are implications to saying that…” She stammered, her voice a little shaky. It was a very weak, last second defense, and the redness of her cheeks confirmed what he’d been starting to suspect. It might’ve taken him a while to pick up on it, but he wasn’t willfully blind like Edward. He chuckled softly, his shaky confidence returning.

“I’m aware of that,” his eyes held a glint of amusement at the disbelief written across her features.

“…Y-you’re serious?” she sounded as shaken as she looked.

“Do you really think I’d be saying it if I wasn’t?” he asked dryly. She was staring at him with an uncertain deer-in-the-headlights expression, as if she still couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. It was clear she had no idea how to respond. He let out a soft sigh. Well, he could think of one way to convince her… He stepped in close to her and reached up, brushing her bangs away from her face as he’d been itching to do for the last several minutes. Then he very deliberately leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips, just as he’d seen with the young couple in the street several days ago.

She instantaneously went as rigid as if she’d been zapped by a bolt of electricity. When she failed to make any sort of response he pulled back slightly, a little concerned that he’d misread her somehow. He met her gaze and she drew in a sharp breath. Then her arms slid around his neck and she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, returning the kiss. He felt an overwhelming wash of relief at her reciprocation. She scared him for a minute there. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Her slight build, the softness of her skin, the faint floral scent drifting off her recently washed hair, and the feel of her lips beneath his, set off a rush of novel sensations. If William had ever had a sweetheart, the memory had long since disappeared. This was completely alien territory…and he found he was suddenly quite looking forward to exploring it.

“Uh…should I just leave this here?” Both of them pulled back from each other in surprise to glance at the door. A young, male nurse stood in the doorway holding a tray of breakfast, looking rather uncomfortable. When they continued to stare at him without responding he wavered and finally set the tray on the floor before hastily retreating. The door clicked shut behind him and Envy glanced back at the girl in his arms. To his amusement she was about as red as he’d ever seen her. She swiftly slid her arms around his waist in a tight hug, hiding her face against his shoulder. He chuckled softly and wrapped an arm around her, reaching up with the other to slip his fingers into her dark curls. They really were as soft as they looked. To his surprise he felt her giggle slightly. He hummed questioningly. She was silent for a moment before glancing up at him.

“I feel like a character in one of those cheesy fanfics,” she sounded sheepishly amused. He blinked at her, puzzled.

“Huh?”

“Never mind,” she grinned before leaning her head against his shoulder once more. He stared down at her in bewilderment for a moment before smile crept onto his face. He rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes contentedly. There was a warm feeling growing in his chest that for the moment overwhelmed all other emotions or concerns. He’d felt it before…sort of… but never quite like this, and certainly never this strong. This must be what genuine happiness felt like. He’d never imagined things would turn out like this... He was somewhat amused to realize that perhaps Elsie had been right. Maybe being human wasn’t so bad after all.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

“So you’re telling me this boy is one of the homunculi?” Mustang demanded. The dark haired colonel was confined to a hospital bed. A black eye-patch rested over his left eye, but his remaining eye held a piercing, suspicious look. Beside the bed sat his blond subordinate known as Riza Hawkeye. She didn’t appear as concerned as her superior, but she was watching the visitors with interest. Wrath stepped slightly behind his mother, clutching her hand with both of his own. He didn’t like the way the injured man was staring at him. Izumi glanced down at her nervous son with a slight smile. She gently nudged him back into full view, resting an encouraging hand on his shoulder.

“He was one of the homunculi. As I said, he’s become human now,” Izumi corrected the military officer.

“So you’re saying he no longer possesses any special abilities?” Riza enquired, gaze growing thoughtful as she stared at the child.

“Nothing that any ordinary human wouldn’t possess,” his mother confirmed. Mustang stared at them in silence for a moment. Edward shifted uncomfortably, standing next to his teacher with an aura of resignation.

“What she’s saying is true. Wrath isn’t like he used to be. He’s just a normal kid now,” Ed confirmed his teacher’s statement.

“You wish to bring him home to raise as your son?” Mustang asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Izumi nodded. Wrath shifted his weight from one foot to the other uneasily, gaze darting between his mother and the colonel. The dark haired man sighed, staring at the nervous child.

“I don’t see any reason to prevent you from taking him. He obviously doesn’t belong in a military prison. The other homunculus you brought here is a different story however,” his tone hardened a little as he glanced at Edward, “And you’re telling me that you’re vouching for him? After everything you’ve gone through and learned?” Ed frowned.

“He isn’t a homunculus. Not anymore,” he said firmly.

“I can’t understand your choice to support that monster,” Mustang replied severely.

“Envy isn’t a monster!” Wrath protested indignantly. Izumi squeezed his shoulder, silencing him. Mustang shot the boy an unenthused glance. Ed drew in a deep breath.

“You know I don’t like him. Hell, we can’t stand each other. If it were just me I wouldn’t mind seeing him rot in prison for a few years,” he admitted bluntly. Wrath stared at him, appalled. Hadn’t the alchemist agreed to help the green haired teen? “However,” Ed continued reluctantly, “I can’t lie and say he’s the same as he used to be. Aside from the sour attitude and freakish appearance, from what I’ve seen he’s nothing like his old self. Humanity has changed him just as much as it changed Wrath, if not more given how far he’d fallen from humanity in the first place.”

“You’re saying he’s no longer a threat?” Mustang didn’t sound the slightest bit convinced.

“Not any more of a threat than any ordinary human soldier,” Ed confirmed. Mustang shook his head.

“Regardless, I can’t ignore the crimes he’s committed. He doesn’t have the same excuse as the boy. He’s more than old enough to understand his offences and take responsibility for them,” he replied evenly. Ed frowned, staring at the floor. Wrath watched him in growing consternation. When it didn’t appear that the blond boy was going to argue against the officer, he took a step towards the older boy.

“What about Elsie?” he demanded, “You promised you’d work something out. Envy put his life on the line to help your brother get his body back, and so did she! How can you let the military take away more of her family?” his tone was heated as he glared at the alchemist. Ed’s eyes widened at the boy’s sudden outburst of anger. He wavered a moment, clearly unsure of how to respond.

“Who is he talking about?” Mustang demanded.

“Elsie is the girl they brought back with them from the other side of the gate,” Izumi explained.

“From the other side…?” Mustang’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Is this true Fullmetal?” he demanded, glancing at the blond haired alchemist. Ed nodded slowly.

“Yes… As far as I know she’s been with them since they first became human. She got dragged through the gate with them when they got pulled back,” he explained. Mustang frowned curiously.

“What is her relationship with Envy?” he asked. Ed blinked and then glanced at Wrath uncertainly. The dark haired boy shrugged. Edward sighed. 

“…Well I’m not sure about the exact nature of it, but since he just about got himself killed protecting her I’d say it’s a pretty close relationship,” he replied. Mustang continued frowning thoughtfully. After several minutes of silence he glanced at the blond woman beside his bed. They seemed to have a silent conversation with each other before the blond officer nodded. Mustang sighed, glancing back at the trio in front of him.

“I want to meet this girl. And Envy. I can’t take your word on this,” he said gravely. Wrath’s eyes lit up to hear an answer that wasn’t immediately negative. He gave the boy a severe look. “I’m not making any promises, so don’t get your hopes up.” the boy let out a soft huff and glowered at the floor. Mustang’s gaze flicked to the older woman. “If, and it’s a very slight if, I agree to let both boys go free, they will need to stay in a place where we can keep tabs on them and monitor their activities,” he told her seriously. Izumi nodded. Ed frowned, glancing at his teacher.

“But what…?” he began.

“They can both stay with me,” the older woman replied. Ed’s eyes widened and Mustangs brow furrowed. Wrath glanced up at her, eyes wide with hopeful anticipation. “I’m more than capable of keeping both boys in line now that they’re both human. Edward, or whoever else you choose, can check in on us regularly. I can keep Wrath busy with catching up on missed schooling and Envy can be kept busy working with Sig and Mason in the shop,” she explained, “Elsie of course is welcome as well. She can help me with Wrath and housework, among other things,” she sounded completely confidant about the idea. Wrath grinned, positively glowing with excitement at the idea of the two teens coming along to live with them. Ed blinked, clearly taken off guard by the suggestion but not having any immediate objections rising to mind.

“Well then,” Mustang said, “We’ll have to see if Envy is as changed a man as you claim,” he still sounded skeptical.

“Shall I fetch the two of them?” Izumi asked.

“Why don’t you bring them in after supper? No sense in approaching the matter while all of us are hungry,” he replied smoothly. She nodded.

“I’ll go let them know,” she said, “Come Wrath,” she turned towards the door, the dark haired boy following on her heels.

“Fullmetal,” Mustang called. Edward hesitated, glancing at him. “A word please,” his superior said. The alchemist frowned as the door slid shut, leaving him alone with the other two officers. Mustang sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead.

“Well,” Ed demanded, “What is it?” he sounded resigned, likely expecting a lecture from the dark haired man.

“The only reason I am even considering this proposal is because I have no wish to alienate you and your brother, or your teacher for that matter. And I certainly want the entire situation under as tight a wraps as possible. The fewer people know about this, the better. But I still can’t understand why you’re willing to support that creature,” his tone was less than thrilled. Edward sighed, and then chuckled bemusedly.

“I should really just let you talk to Elsie. She’s the one who talked me around in the first place. And after yesterday…well I think I believe her now. The old Envy wouldn’t have even considered doing anything that would help me, or Al, let alone be willing to throw his life away for someone else. He isn’t the same person now that he’s human. At least as far as I can tell….” He explained.

“Are you saying that you trust him?” Mustang asked skeptically. Ed hesitated for a moment, struggling to come up with an answer.

“Being left to his own devices I’m not so sure…but as long as he’s with Elsie and Wrath, as well as Teacher, then yes…I’m willing to trust him,” he forced the words out with great reluctance. Mustang watched him for a moment, before his expression grew amused.

“You really don’t like him. This must be some girl that she managed to talk you into supporting him,” he commented dryly. Ed gave him a flat look.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll like her. She’s your type,” his tone was sarcastic as he fixed his superior with an exasperated look. Mustang raised his eyebrows.

“Is she really?” He sounded coolly curious, “Well then, this should be interesting. Why don’t you run along and get something to eat,” he suggested. Edward rolled his eyes.

“Yes sir,” his tone was mocking as he turned and strolled out of the room.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

Elsie strolled slowly into the hospital cafeteria. Her gaze flicked across the already crowded eating area unfocusedly, hardly aware of the wave of chatter and noise which washed over her. She still felt dazedly happy, not entirely convinced she wasn’t dreaming.

“Hey!” A young voice called. She turned to see Wrath making his way swiftly towards her, squeezing past people with an agility that came with his small size. She noted with some curiosity that he was grinning excitedly. He came to a sliding stop in front of her, bouncing slightly with barely contained enthusiasm.

“You’re going to come live with us! You get to come help mum, and Envy can help in the shop and—” his excited chatter cut off for a moment, and he cocked his head at her slightly, “Why is your face so red?” Elsie’s eyes widened and she reached up to touch her still warm cheeks. Good grief, was she _still_ blushing?

“Uh,” she chuckled nervously, “What were you saying about us living with you?” she quickly switched the subject. Wrath blinked.

“Oh, right! Because Mustang said—” he was cut off again by a commanding voice.

“Wrath,” Izumi’s voice could be clearly heard across the noisy room. Wrath jumped slightly and glanced over his shoulder before abruptly growing sheepish.

“Um, I’ll let mum tell you. Come on!” He grabbed her hand and set off through the cafeteria. Elsie staggered after him, a little stunned by the boy’s energy. What exactly had gotten him so worked up?

They soon arrived at a large, round table where Izumi, Sig and the Elrics were seated. Large bowls of what appeared to be some sort of stew were steaming in front of them. Elsie wrinkled her nose slightly. The food here was mildly better than the stuff they’d served in the hospital back in her world, but hospital food was hospital food.

“Elsie,” Izumi greeted the girl, “How is Envy fairing?” The dark haired girl felt her cheeks grow warmer.

“He’s doing just fine…they brought supper up to him so he sent me down to get some of my own,” she explained. The older woman nodded.

“Wrath, why don’t you grab Elsie some supper?” she suggested to the boy. Wrath glanced at the long line up for food and turned to give his mother a resigned look. Izumi raised an eyebrow and he sighed, turning and heading towards the line. Elsie hesitated, a little unsure as to why she couldn’t just get her own meal. She slowly slid into a seat next to Al.

“I take it you and Envy got along alright after I left,” his tone was innocently conversational but his eyes danced with amusement. She glared at him as she flushed a darker shade of red. Edward raised a curious eyebrow at her obvious embarrassment. Izumi cleared her throat slightly to get their attention. They glanced up at her quickly. A slight smile pulled at the corners of the older woman’s lips and Elsie wilted internally. Was she really so obvious that even Izumi had picked up on it?

“We were discussing your situation with Mustang earlier,” Izumi’s expression grew serious. Elsie felt a little ball of dread begin to form in her chest. Mustang’s decision was the key to their future. If he went against them…she wasn’t sure what she’d do. “He’s not convinced by our explanation, but he would like to meet both you and Envy before he makes a decision.” Elsie blinked, then nodded guardedly. That made sense… “Also,” Izumi continued, “If he does decide to grant both boys their freedom it’s under the condition that they will come to live with my husband and myself,” she explained. Elsie’s eyes widened. Live with Izumi? The thought had never even occurred to her…of course she’d only mentioned the boys… Izumi smiled at her uncertain expression. “Of course you would be more than welcome to stay as well, provided you’re willing to make yourself useful,” she reassured her. Elsie relaxed slightly, feeling a surge of gratitude.

“You would really be willing to do that?” she asked, a little awed by the woman’s generosity. Izumi nodded.

“It’s the least I can do for the two of you after taking care of my son for as long as you did,” she gave Elsie a knowing look. The younger girl felt a prick of surprise. “And he isn’t eager to be separated from either of you,” the older woman added with a slight smile. Elsie nodded slowly. That would solve all of their problems at once… It was the perfect answer… assuming of course that Mustang would allow it. “And off course, you’ll have to talk to Envy about it,” Izumi pointed out.

“I think…he’ll be ok with the idea…” she couldn’t quite keep the sheepishness out of her tone. Izumi raised an eyebrow but chose not to comment. Al snickered quietly. Edward frowned in puzzlement.

“Is there something going on between you and Envy?” he demanded finally. Alphonse’s snickers turned into outright laughter.

“Um…” she wished she could melt under the table. It wasn’t like they were trying to keep it a secret, but… she was still trying to wrap her head around the idea herself, “Sort of…maybe….yes…” she admitted, her voice a little squeakier than normal. Edward’s eyes narrowed.

“Wait…but I thought you said you weren’t his girlfriend earlier,” he pointed out suspiciously.

“…I wasn’t…” she replied evasively. Girlfriend huh? She supposed she did kind of fall into that category now…

“…So you’re saying you are now?” Ed demanded incredulously. She gave a tiny nod, still not meeting his wide eyed gaze. He appeared floored, not having any immediate response. At that moment Wrath arrived back at the table, a steaming bowl in his hands. He glanced at each of them, sensing the odd atmosphere hanging over the table.

“…Did I miss something?” he asked. Elsie blinked, head snapping up abruptly. She smiled gratefully at him took the bowl from his grasp.

“Nope, not a thing. Thanks for the supper!” She told him, grateful for his interruption even more than the food. Wrath appeared a little perplexed, but slipped into the seat next to her.

“You’re welcome…”

A little over an hour later Elsie found herself waiting in the hall outside of Mustang’s room. Envy stood next to her, gaze resting on her face. Izumi emerged from the door a moment later.

“He only wants to see the two of you,” she told them gravely. Elsie swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling quite unprepared to face the Flame Alchemist. She felt a hand slip into hers and she glanced up at the green haired teen. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, sensing her growing anxiety. She gave him a grateful smile.

“Ready?” She asked quietly.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” he replied calmly. She drew in a deep breath before nodding. Izumi held the door open for them and together they strolled in hand-in-hand.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

The full moon cast shadows against the walls of his room. Envy lay awake, thinking over the events of the day. The hospital had wanted to keep him for one more night. It worked out fine, since they wouldn’t be leaving for Dublith until the next day anyway. The meeting with Mustang…hadn’t gone as he’d expected. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Flame Alchemist. The man hadn’t said much. There’d been a few questions and comments. Mostly however he’d simply stared at them. He’d seemed quite interested in the way the green haired teen had slipped an arm protectively around Elsie’s shoulders when the older man’s gaze rested on her for too long. After studying them for a time his gaze had moved from Elsie, to his blond lieutenant, and then back to Envy. Then he’d asked him the last question he’d expected to hear from the man.

 _“Do you love her?”_ it had taken him completely off guard. He knew the shock must have been written all over his face. What did that have to do with anything? But the answer was quite obvious.

_“Yes,”_ his tone had been blunt. And for some mysterious reason the man seemed to be satisfied with that. He’d agreed to let them go. It was hard for him to wrap his head around. Perhaps his injuries had testified to his clearly weakened position. Or perhaps Mustang’s brain had gotten a little rattled when he lost his eye. Either way, Envy would be going back to Dublith with both Elsie and Wrath. He wouldn’t be separated from either of them or left behind… He smiled contentedly in the dark, eyes slipping shut as he drifted off to sleep.

_The peacefulness of sleep melted away into a familiar, roiling darkness. Images flashed around him. He recognized each of them with a growing feeling of sickness. Death, destruction, slaughter…the chaos and screams of riots. Buildings consumed in flames. Lifeless bodies littering the streets, piled on top of each other as blood ran like water in the gutters. Men, women, children… no one was spared. He could smell the rot and decay in the air, the coppery smell of blood, the thick black smoke from the fires as hot cinders drifted through the air, spreading destruction wherever they landed…_

_The sensation of falling vanished abruptly as he hit a flat surface. He gasped for air, shaking from the intensity of the emotions that wracked him. He recognized the ominous yellow glow lighting up the shadows around him. He heard footsteps and knew who it was even before he looked up and met that piercing, violet gaze. The creature stared down at him in disgust._

_“So, you want to live a normal life as a human do you? Do you truly think you can turn your back on your past? You’ll never change. Deep down you still enjoy those memories,” its voice was coldly mocking. Envy shuddered._

_“No,” he replied hoarsely. The homunculus hissed in anger._

_“You’re willing to change for that human scum? That girl’s as worthless as that man you called ‘father’. She’ll abandon you just like him,” it spat. Envy pushed himself to his knees and slowly raised himself to his feet. He met the homunculus’s gaze evenly, eye to eye with the monster._

_“No she won’t. And even if she does, that’s her choice, I won’t stop her,” he replied firmly. The homunculus’s expression twisted into a sneer._

_“If you choose this life I will haunt you for the rest of your existence. You will never escape me,” it warned. Envy regarded it for a moment. He knew exactly what the creature meant._

_“So be it,” he replied, “That’s the least that I deserve.”_

_“You can’t hope to prevail against me in your feeble form. I will crush you,” its voice was filled with a sickening delight. Envy wavered a moment under the hate in its gaze, before an image rose to his mind. A pair of warm green eyes drowned out the spiteful purple ones before him. He wasn’t alone in this._

_“No. You won’t,” there was complete confidence in his tone, “So long as there are people who need me, I will endure what I must.” The creature’s expression contorted in rage._

_“You fool!” it lunged at him and he braced himself. He knew what was coming. But he had to face it..._

“Envy,” a soft voice spoke near his ear and he felt a hand gently shaking his good shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he gasped in a breath. His heart was pounding a mile a minute. “Hey, are you ok?” Elsie’s gaze was concerned as she leaned over him. He up stared at her, drinking in the familiarity and kindness of her expression, her hair shining in the morning light which bathed the room. His breathing slowed and he blinked a couple times, the twisted images behind his eyelids fleeing away with the warmth of her voice.

“I am now,” he replied in relief, leaning up to capture her lips with his own. She made a startled sound, taken aback by his forwardness. He pulled back slowly, grinning at the redness already filling her cheeks. She smiled sheepishly at him for a moment. Then she frowned slightly in concern.

“You didn’t seem like you were sleeping very well,” she told him. He sighed.

“It was just a bad dream. Nothing to worry about,” he brushed it off briskly.

“Hmm,” she didn’t sound completely convinced but she let it slide.

“Hey!” the voice at the door drew their attention and they turned to see Wrath giving them a skeptical look, “What are you two doing?” he demanded. Envy smirked at the suspicion in the boy’s expression.

“None of your business squirt,” he retorted. Wrath gave him a flat look.

“I saw you. You were kissing weren’t you?” He accused.

“Is there a problem with that?” Envy cocked an eyebrow. The boy stared at him with a mixed expression for a moment before he shuddered.

“That’s just so…yuck…” he made a face. Elsie burst into startled laughter at the boy’s reaction. She tried to contain it but was rather unsuccessful. Envy grinned slightly at her amusement.

“You’ll get it when you’re older,” he told the younger boy smugly. Wrath stuck his tongue out at the Envy’s tone.

“Yeah right,” he shot back.

“Are you guys almost ready?” Al’s voice could be heard in the hall, “Teacher wants to leave soon.” Elsie turned back towards Envy, giving him an excited smile.

“Are you ready?” she asked. He watched her eager expression, a feeling of warmth growing in his chest, pushing away the memory of those cruel violet eyes. Whatever their future held, he was looking forward to it. This was the life he’d chosen, regardless of the price.

“I’m ready whenever you are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it. They finally got their act together. xP I hope not too many of you fell out of your chairs in disgust at the innocent cheesiness of it. I did warn you this wasn't a lemony story lol. And personally, I would have liked way longer to draw out their relationship...
> 
> About Mustang's decision, there was a bit of logic behind it. Firstly, as far as I'm aware in the 2003 anime he never finds out Envy killed Hughes...please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm way more familiar with Brotherhood than I am with FMA. Secondly, Mustang himself has done some pretty awful stuff in the past, so if he figures he deserves a chance to repent and fix himself then I suspect he'd be willing to extend the same courtesy to Envy...at least if he's got Elsie to keep him in line like Mustang has Riza. ;)


	25. Epilogue

_Five years later…_

 

Envy sat bolt upright in bed. His breath came sharp and ragged and his body quivered with tension. Moonlight gleamed off the thin sheen of sweat over his face and arms and glittered off the teardrops slowly slipping down his cheeks. A moment later the figure lying next to him sat up as well, arms sliding around his shoulders in a comforting embrace.

“Hey,” she whispered, “was it another bad one?” He knew what she meant: was it another worse-than-normal one? He let out a shaky breath, not bothering to wipe the moisture off of his cheeks.

“I can still hear them screaming…” his voice was hoarse. Elsie’s arms tightened around him.

“I’m so sorry…” her tone was pained.

“Hey,” He reached up to brush a dark lock of hair away from her face, “Don’t apologize. It’s hardly your fault.” 

“It’s not fair,” she murmured. He shook his head.

“It’s completely fair. It’s the least I deserve,” he replied tiredly. She sighed. They’d had this debate a thousand times before. She wasn’t about to continue it now. The moonlight shone off of the gold band around her left finger, distracting her slightly. She decided to change to subject.

“It’s our anniversary tomorrow,” she said softly, resting her head against his shoulder. He blinked in surprise.

“Already?” he inquired. She nodded.

“I can’t believe it’s already been three years,” she marveled. He chuckled softly, a smirk playing across his lips.

“Time flies when you’re having a good time,” his tone was mischievous as he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her back against the pillows, rolling over to gaze down at her. He saw the flash of her teeth in the dark as she grinned.

“You’re such a brat,” she accused, her tone amused. He hummed.

“You knew that when you married me,” he informed her dryly.

“Yes, I suppose I did,” she smirked, arms slipping around his neck as she captured his lips with her own. The twisted horrors of his dream slowly drained out of his mind as he was very effectively distracted by the woman in his arms.

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **

“They’re here!” Mason called from the front yard. Elsie glanced up out the kitchen window to see the visitors they’d been expecting walking up the path to the house. The afternoon sun was beating down, glinting off the blond hair of the Elric family. She heard Envy call out a greeting as he walked around from the back of the house where he’d been working with Sig.

“Hey pipsqueak!” He called. Ed gave the green haired man a wilted look.

“That nickname doesn’t even make sense anymore. I’m taller than you!” he shot back defensively. He was indeed almost a foot taller than the wiry man. Envy grinned.

“Maybe. But in my eyes you’ll always be the angry little shrimp I so fondly remember,” his tone was innocent. Winry clamped a hand down on her husband’s arm before he could fly off the handle.

“Must you provoke him as soon as you lay eyes on him?” she demanded, giving Envy a reprimanding look. Envy had the good graces to look a little sheepish.

“What can I say? Some things will never change,” he smirked at his half-brother and Ed rolled his eyes. Sig and Mason converged on the small group, greeting them cheerfully. Mason slapped Edward on the back congenially.  
“You managing to get any sleep with those little hellions in the house?” he grinned at the blond man. Edward sighed, his dark circles answering the question for him.

“Wrath! Wrath!” the little blond girl next to Winry squealed, letting go of her mother’s hand to dash towards the house. Her younger brother fussed slightly in his uncle’s arms. Al, smiled indulgently, lifting the boy up to sit on his shoulders. The toddler grinned, grabbing two fistfuls of the man’s short blond hair.

“Sara,” Wrath greeted the enthusiastic little girl at the door, crouching down so she could wrap him in a hug. His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he too was now slightly taller than Envy. Sara pulled back quickly.

“Guess what, guess what!” She bubbled excitedly, “I’m turning four tomorrow!”

“Really? You’re four already? Are you sure about that?” He raised an eyebrow, as if doubting the girl. Her grin quickly turned into a scowl.

“Yes I am! I’m four years old!” she declared vehemently. The now 15 year old Wrath cracked a grin, straightening up and ruffling the young girl’s hair.

“Alright, I guess I’ll trust you,” he chuckled.

“Hey!” she grinned again, “Stop it!”

“I can always tell when those boys arrive. Everything suddenly gets louder,” Izumi walked up beside Elsie at the kitchen sink. The dark haired young woman laughed softly.

“That’s what you get when you have children,” she pointed out. 

“Indeed,” Izumi replied. She frowned slightly as she stared out the window. “Envy seems tired. How are the dreams?” she inquired. Elsie grimaced.

“They don’t come as frequently, but he still has them. I’m not sure they’re ever going to go away completely,” she replied, her tone bleak. Izumi nodded understandingly.

“We can never completely escape our pasts. Even once things are made right….” Elsie glanced at the older woman to see she had a hand resting on her stomach. She felt a terrible sinking feeling in her chest.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” her voice was barely more than a whisper. Izumi sighed.

"I don’t have much time left,” she replied gravely.

“But…” Elsie wanted to object, but she knew the woman was right.

“I’ve been living on borrowed time for years. I’m just grateful to have lived long enough to see this,” she stared out at the group of young people standing in her front yard. Her gaze moved to rest on the dark haired teen, currently occupied with the oldest Elric child. Her expression grew somber. “It’s going to be hard on him,” she commented softly. Elsie followed her gaze to Wrath and felt tears threatening to rise. Five years seemed like such a short time for him to have gotten to spend with his mother…

“I’ll look after him. Both of us will,” she said fiercely, referring to her green haired husband.

“I know,” Izumi’s gaze rested on the young woman with a smile, “You and Wrath are very close. You’ve been like an older sister to him. You’re going to make a wonderful mother,” her tone was meaningful. Elsie raised a hand unconsciously to her own stomach where a slight bump was beginning to show. Despite the distressing tone of their conversation, she felt a little blossom of warmth in her chest. “Have you decided on names yet?” Izumi asked with a warm smile. Elsie shook her head amusedly.

“Not yet. I think Envy is still trying to wrap his head around the idea. I thought he was going to fall over when I told him,” she chuckled slightly. Izumi smirked.

“How does he feel about it?” she asked.

“He’s hopelessly excited. And terrified,” Elsie grinned. Izumi chuckled.

“It’ll be good for him,” her tone was amused.

“I think so,” Elsie agreed.

“My ears are burning,” Elsie heard the dry voice and turned to see her husband now leaning on the kitchen doorframe.

“It’s about time you had your own little brat. I can’t wait to see you fending off a couple of mini Envys” Edward commented smugly from behind him.

“Oh shut it pipsqueak,” Envy rolled his eyes, before dodging an easy going punch from the blond alchemist. The group of young people filed into the kitchen finding seats at the table.

“Alphonse, when are you going to find someone to start a family with?” Mason demanded, “You’re older brother’s got two kids already for heaven’s sake and a third one on the way if I’m not mistaken,” he commented.

“You’re pregnant again?” Elsie cried in surprise. Winry grinned tiredly.

“Yes indeed,” the mechanic sounded happily resigned.

“I’ll worry about that when I find the right girl,” Al replied confidently, unconcerned by the older man’s tormenting.

“Speaking of girls, what about you Wrath?” Ed demanded, glancing at the dark haired teen who had appeared in the doorway with the young girl still clinging to his hand, “Found yourself a sweetheart yet?” the alchemist’s tone was teasing. Wrath turned slightly pink.

“No,” he replied stiffly.

“Are you sure about that?” Winry raised an eyebrow, “I bet the girl’s in town are falling for you left right and center,” she replied with a knowing smile. Elsie chuckled at the boy’s embarrassment. She had to agree with them though; it wouldn’t be long till some girl latched onto him. He’d grown up nicely.

“Alright, enough tormenting each other,” Izumi ordered dryly, “It’s time for lunch,” The older woman grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and cups from the counter and brought them over to the table. Elsie grabbed the two plates filled with sandwiches and followed her, setting them down in the middle of the table before sliding into the seat next to Envy’s.

“Alright! These look great,” Mason grinned.

“Hey, save one for me,” Wrath said, slipping into the seat next to the young man.

“Mum!” Sara demanded imperiously.

“Come here and your dad can get part of a sandwich for you,” Winry told the girl patiently. The young girl walked over to her parents and Ed scooped her up causing her to shriek excitedly before he settled her on his knee. Al passed the younger Elric child over to Winry before reaching for a sandwich of his own.

Elsie’s gaze flicked to Izumi who was standing at the kitchen door with Sig. She watched the older man pull her into a careful embrace. Despite the knowledge that her time with them was coming to an end soon, Izumi looked happy; as happy as Elsie had ever seen her. It was hard to imagine how the place would be without her... Elsie’s throat tightened and she glanced down at the table. The older woman would be sorely missed by everyone. But death wasn’t the only thing on the horizon. She glanced across the table at her blond haired friend who was busy feeding the toddler in her arms. If Winry was pregnant then that meant she’d be having her baby around the same time as herself. She felt the warm glow return to her chest at the thought of the new life now growing inside her. The feeling of anxious anticipation was growing stronger by the day. Would it be a boy or a girl? What would they call it? What would they be like?

She felt a hand slip into hers, fingers intertwining with her own.

“I love you,” Envy murmured in her ear, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. She smiled at him, feeling a thrill of happiness at the familiar words.

“I love you too,” she replied softly, squeezing his hand.

** ~~~~~~~~~~  
-End-  
~~~~~~~~~~ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we've come to the end of the story. Since you've made it this far I'd love it if you'd do me the honor of letting me know what you think of it. I just hope you guys had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. ^^;
> 
> Omg. Envy got married! XD Now, I know the concept is as old and dated as the dinosaurs, but really, is there anything wrong with marrying a guy _before_ you start ripping his clothes off? Just a thought... I know, I guess that makes me a traditionalist. Sadly I think I'm the last of a dying breed...
> 
> Oh! I should probably add that I've just finished writing a sequel to this story. The whole thing is uploaded on Fanfiction.net (By Affliction of Emotion by Kasani). Eventually I'll probably get around to uploading it on here too. But not right away. I'm a little too busy to be weeding through it adding in all the necessary HTML tags right now. x'D If you're interested, it's out there.

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins!  
> This story is already completely finished (its 95 ,410 words long I might add. A sequel is also in the works and almost finished) and ready to upload. I'm just awaiting free time to get it all uploaded. So I can promise you that you won't be left hanging with no ending. Assuming I don't get struck by lightening before I finish uploading everything...
> 
> This was the first fictional work I had written in years...so I apologize for the rustiness. It gets better as it goes along. The story mainly centers around Envy and Elsie (my OC), although Wrath has his moments in the spotlight as well. The prologue is pretty brief, but the actual chapters are longer. I've tried to keep everyone reasonably in character for a realistic period of time. But as I'm sure you're well aware, it's almost impossible to write a story with Envy kept completely in character the whole time and not have it become an M rated bloodbath. And I think most fangirls prefer him slightly out of character anyway. ;P  
> Speaking of the rating, it's rated T for violence, swearing, and some dark themes. All of that should really be a given in an FMA fanfic... But there is some rather unique content in this story as well.  
> One more thing I'd like to add. Yes, this is an EnvyxOC story. But I'm warning you in advance its not a conventional EnvyxOC relationship and it progresses slowly. So If you're looking for lemons I suggest you look elsewhere. (A grocery store perhaps?)
> 
> And, like every other author on this site, I really appreciate feedback! Comments, questions, criticism (preferably constructive...), all of it's great. If you stick it out to the end of the story I would really appreciate it if you let me know what you think. This is the only time I'm going to ask this.  
> Thank you! Hope you enjoy reading it. ;)


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